Rediscovery
by Just-Writing98
Summary: Jaden has lost his way. His friends and his passion for duelling have disappeared. Can a visit from some old friends set him back on the path of discovery or will he slip further away from the things he used to love so dearly? Will he truly find the thing he was looking for all along? JxA
1. A Not So Typical Thursday

**Hey Guys,**

**I started this a while ago and have adapted the first chapter of the story slightly. I will attempt to post another chapter as soon as possible but hope you enjoy this one first off. Reviews are really useful to me, so feel free to leave them if you have any points about the way the story has started. Inbox with any questions and I'll try to get back to them around my studies.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride.**

**Writey x**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh… so just enjoy the ride.**

**The story will be written in character POV starting with Jaden!**

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_**Jaden's POV**_

"Jay…. Tess don't put that up your nose… Jay…... Joshie stop shouting at the television… JADEN YUKI GET OUT OF BED THIS MINUTE!"

Maybe if I pretend, I'm fast asleep she won't disturb me I thought to myself as I lay half asleep in my bed.

"Jaden, I know you can hear me, get out of bed."

I could hear the slow footsteps gradually edging closer and closer towards my bedroom.

"Jaden, please get out of bed, I could really use your help this morning," said the voice of a middle-aged women as she burst into my bedroom unannounced.

"Ugh… Wha…... Me… Do… Sleep… Here," I replied still pretending to be half asleep.

This woman is my mother, Susan Yuki, and like normal she was trying to disturb my lovely, pleasant sleep.

Now if your reading this then you already know who I am but let's just have a good old recap anyway. My name is Jaden Yuki, I attended Duel Academy, one of the most prestigious duelling schools in the whole world. I have so many good memories from there, making loads of friends, having some the toughest duels I've ever had and saving the world on countless occasions.

However, I have now graduated, which leaves me at the torment of my family who will never, EVER, let me sleep in on a Thursday.

"You know Jaden if you weren't so lazy you might be able to sleep in once in a while," said a figure with green and orange eyes floating above the sleeping boy.

"You know Yubel, I don't remember asking for your opinion."

Yubel is my duel spirit which was another one of the little additions Duel Academy had on my life.

"I never said you did ask for my opinion, just thought you might like to hear it," said the figure with a slight chuckle. "Also, you know I can still hear you when you talk to yourself; I basically live in your head."

"Yes, I do, and now I'm also awake, so thank you very much."

I slowly rolled my aching body out of bed and stood up with a light stretch. I went over to my window and cracked open the curtains allowing the bright sunshine beating over New Domino City to enter my room before heading out the door to follow my mother who had already proceeded to go back to my younger sibling's downstairs.

Anyway, as I was saying before I was rudely woken up, I graduated Duel Academy roughly two years ago. After that and with everything that happened, I sort of lost my way and eventually lost contact with all of my friends. I didn't want that to happen, not at all but, I don't know, it just kind of happened. I don't really duel much either, only when my little brother wants to have a practice.

I still see my friends doing all these amazing things, Syrus and Zane tour the pro circuit together, Bastion is helping create new duel strategies at a company here in New Domino and Chazz made up with his brothers and started helping in the family business.

At first I just wanted a little break, but after I got into a routine of living at home, well, I just kind of stuck to it. My whole life I'd only ever known one thing, the love of duelling, but since Duel Academy, that love sort of just disappeared. I still have all my cards; I've had them since I was 13 so they're not going anywhere and my entire family loves duelling so there is no way I will ever be fully able to escape it. I just know that with everything that happened at Duel Academy, I needed to find myself again, find out who Jaden Yuki is.

"How long have we been doing that now," said Yubel with a hint of irony in her voice.

"Well, it's not going to happen overnight Yubel," I said plodding slowly down the stairs trying to avoid all the clutter my family had left on each step. My family loves to leave things everywhere, but the stairs usually consisted of a mixture of Josh's school homework and Dad's drawings.

You see, Malcom, my dad, works for a marketing company called Yu-Design that specialises in the development of new card types. He and my mum both met at Duel Academy and have been together ever since.

Mum used to tour a few circuits duelling but once her and my dad decided to start a family, she gave up the duelling scene to look after us kids and just stuck to the occasionally match against my Dad at Christmas.

I also have two younger siblings, Josh and Tessa.

Josh just turned 13 and Tessa is 4.

Now, I'm not sure Tess really knows what duelling is yet but I have caught her trying to chew my duel disk so I have the feeling that she will probably love it as well. She pretty much just watches TV all day whilst my Mum tries to tidy up the mess that she's made that morning at breakfast, hence my early wakeup call this morning.

My brother, Josh, is still at school, he's going to be attending Duel Academy in a few years or so. At his age he's a better duellist than I was, and he doesn't even have his own cards yet. I think he's actually due to be getting them relatively soon but I can't remember.

I made my way into the kitchen which looked like there had been a car crash.

Tess had clearly just eaten breakfast because it was all over her and the table, mum was scrambling around trying to clean up the mess my sister had made and my brother was, like usual, watching some pro-European duellists battle it out for a place on this years World Championship.

I made my way over to the seat opposite my sister and sat down.

"Finally your awake, here's your pancakes," mum said handing me a plate.

"I need you to give Tessa her bath whilst I take Josh to get his first deck this morning."

I stopped dead in my tracks and looked my mother square in the eyes.

Not only had I forgotten that today was the day Josh was to get his deck, but I'd also not realised that Tess had still needed her morning bath.

One thing you have to learn is Tessa isn't the cleanest of people and her bath times are in the top five things I dislike the most. I've always told mum that she clearly doesn't want to have bath time and to be frank I'm sure that mum doesn't really want to have to be the one to give her the bath, but they need doing, especially on days like today.

"You know Mum I'm just going to go back to bed" I said picking up my plate and trying to leave as quickly as possible.

"Jaden… Jaden… Stop! Take Josh and I'll take bath time!" Mum said with a slight hesitation in her voice. I knew she didn't want to do it either, but she has far more experience in that category than I do.

"Now that I can certainly help with," I said, turning and grinning at my mother who was less than impressed.

Us Yuki's have many family traditions but my most favourite one is that every member of the family will receive their deck after the week of their 13th birthday and it just so happened that Josh's birthday was last week.

Anyone who knows us as a family understands this tradition.

If you looked at a picture of us, you wouldn't have guessed we were a family though.

I have Brown hair and brown eyes, hair from my father, eyes from my mother, a lean toned out body and long legs however my brother on the other has blonde hair and blue eyes, opposite of what I have, he's rather short and in comparison, a lot fitter and stronger than I was at his age.

You see, he's the star of most sports teams at school, he is very popular and incredibly smart. But his passion for duelling far outweighs any of that.

Tessa has something in common with all of us. She has mainly brown hair but there are streaks of blonde in there and blue eyes have shades of brown in them. I'm convinced that she's going to be the tallest out of us all, even though we're not exactly a tall family. I'm also convinced dad believes that she's going to be the best looking, yes, even better than me!

I finished up my pancakes, washed my plate and cutlery and looked over at my brother.

"Josh, you need to get changed so that we can go and get your deck," I said to my brother who was too fixed on the TV to even notice what I had said.

One thing is for sure, when it comes to duelling my brother has a tactic for about any situation. He loves duelling even more than I did at his age. The amazing thing is I don't remember the last time I saw him lose. Honestly, when he gets the right cards, no one can beat him and he doesn't even have his own set of cards yet, that's nuts if you ask me.

"Okay. Let me just finish watching this and then I'll go and get ready," he said turning up the sound so he could hear the final few moves. I could see that the duel was about to finish so I made my way upstairs to go and get ready.

The one thing about living at home is that I get my own room. I did love living in slifer red with all the others but I do love being able to just relax on my own.

My house isn't anything extraordinary, but this house has been in the family for more than two generations. We have the essentials, kitchen, two bathrooms, dining room, living room, 4 bedrooms and a garden and for us it's perfect, there's just enough space for Tess to explore, Josh and me to get alone time but also for mum and dad to have their own peace and quiet every once in a while.

This house is also incredibly important to my Dad, it's where he grew up. A few years back he decided that it would be a good idea to have a duel arena set up in the garden. Every few months my family hosts what we call a Meet 'N Duel with the other members of the family. Basically, we just get together and have a friendly tournament of duel monsters.

Now because it was mum and dads idea, they decided to be the hosts and with there being really nowhere to have a duel around here, dad thought it would be a good idea to improvise so he decided to create a space for the whole thing to happen henceforth the duel arena. Everyone else provided duel disks and stuff because my dad basically paid for and built the whole arena himself, just so we could stay close as a whole family.

Once I had showered and brushed my teeth with my sister's weird pink toothpaste, I went back to my room and grabbed a simple red top and jeans, slipping them both on.

My room is reasonably small compared to everyone else's. Since I went away to Duel Academy, my mum and dad decided it was only fair to move my brother into my old room which was the biggest.

I don't really have much stuff to store in my room anyway, all I really have is a few bit from Duel Academy, clothes and TV with my games console attached to it.

When I got back from Duel Academy, I decided to paint my room red. I admit it was an impulse decision, but I've gradually gotten used to the colour. At the foot of my bed sits a large oak wardrobe and a small desk used for storing my laptop and television. I have a couple of shelves with the odd thing on and I also have the only room with a decent view of the garden. It is a blessing when the Meet 'N Duel happens because I don't really have to leave my room until it's my turn.

Once I changed, I made sure to pick up my keys, phone and wallet and make my way down the stairs towards the front door.

"You know Jay, if you got money for every time you were late you wouldn't be able to afford to live here anymore," my brother said grabbing the money mum had left on the kitchen counter for us before dashing out of the house.

I shouted goodbye to mum before locking the door and running to try and catch up with my rather excited brother.

The card shop itself was about a 20-minute walk away from where we lived, right through the centre of New Domino City.

We lived on the south side of the city in the residential area. My former school and Josh's current school was only just around the corner from where we lived.

I didn't really talk to anyone I went to school with anymore. They all had permanent jobs in the big city whilst I just worked at the local bakery with our neighbour Mr Maloney.

Mr Maloney was roughly the same age as dad. His wife had passed away whilst I was at Duel Academy so my dad thought it would be a good idea whilst I was at home to help him out around his shop whilst I was looking for a more permanent job.

We stopped off to pick up some bread for mum from the bakery before continuing on towards the card shop.

I could tell that there was something wrong with Josh because he'd not spoken since we'd left the bakery and that was very unlike him.

"Everything okay buddy?" I said through a mouthful of warm crusty bread.

"Yeah, I think so, Jay, what if I don't find a deck I want?" Josh replied in a very quiet voice.

I immediately stopped and placed the bread back in the bag. I squatted down so that I could stare at him directly in the eyes.

"Hey, you listen here, if you don't find a deck you want then we keep looking. I don't care if we have to spend all day trying to find it for you, I will make sure that you get the right deck and that it is one you want!"

"I know but I want a connection with my cards like you have Jay!" He said with a sad smile on his face.

"You'll have one. Maybe not straight away but there will be one you just have to be patient and trust in your cards."

He looked at me with a warm smile and we continued on the rest of the way talking all the different types of cards he might want in his deck.

Once we reached the shop, I looked and realised I'd never been here before.

The shop was fairly modern but did look a bit worn down, the green roof looked as though it would need replacing any day now and the blue and white doors looked to be falling off its hinges.

When I got my deck, the shop we had brought from was in the other direction from home. My entire family had bought their cards from there but unfortunately it had shut down a few years ago. When dad found out, he did some research and decided that this was the best place to come because it was a small family owned store.

As we entered the store there was a ring of a bell and an elderly man who standing behind a counter cleaning a glass cabinet that had what looked to be many different old cards in it.

I walked around the shop for a while with my brother, allowing him to take a look at all the different monster, spell and trap cards there were.

As we approached the counter, where the old man stood, I picked up a weird aura coming from within the store.

Clearly, I wasn't the only one to have noticed it as Yubel appeared next to me looking slightly confused.

"Jaden…. this… this place it has…. some kind of mystic aura around it" she said staring intently at all the different cards that were held in the glass cabinet that Josh was looking at.

"Some kind of bad one?" I said in a muted tone so the old man wouldn't hear me. My family already knew about Yubel since they caught me talking to her but trying to explain it other people, I don't know just makes me look a tad bit crazy.

"No…. it's a very good, powerful aura…." She said moving around the room to get a better look.

I sighed with relief. I didn't really want to have to start something dangerous with my brother around especially as I nothing of the sort had happened since I had been back from Duel Academy.

Once she gave the all clear I went back to the counter were my brother was already looking at the different decks the shop had on offer.

"Hello there" said the old man who looked up from what he was doing to greet us. He looked very familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him from.

He smiled at my brother and me before looking in the direction of Yubel and smiling at her as well.

"Jaden, you don't think he can…." said Yubel trying not to look to surprised.

"Yes I can" said the old man smiling to Yubel. I looked on at him bewildered.

No one had been able to see Yubel since I'd been home, not even my own family could see or hear her, they just spoke to her through me.

Before Yubel had the chance to reply the old man moved to see what Josh was looking at.

"I don't recognise you folks have you recently moved here?"

"Ughhh… no, we just don't tend to buy new cards, so we haven't been in here before and our old shop shut down a while ago," I said trying not to make the old man cross that we had went somewhere else.

"Ah, yes, I know the one, Montgomery's old place, such a shame, you know he works with me here now actually, he brought all his cards over from the old store," the old man said pointing towards a large cabinet of cards just to the left of him.

"Wow, that's awesome, this is definitely my new favourite place in New Domino, " I said looking at the cards my brother was trying to show me.

"Ahh yes some of my best cards are in this cabinet… what's brings you to my shop today? Looking to improve your deck?" he said cleaning off his hands before coming around to where we were stood.

"My brother here is looking for his first deck, we have a family traditional and I decided I would bring him here to get his first one," I said looking at the newer cards in the display.

"Hmm… right…. What cards do you use?" he said to me.

I took the deck I had brought with me out of my holster and gave it to the man.

"Hmm… Elemental Heroes… Interesting" he looked at my brother, smiling, before moving back round to behind the counter "I think I know just the cards to give to your brother here."

We both looked at each other confused whilst the old man took a small brown box from the top of a shelf that was behind the counter and opened it pulling out a 40-card deck.

"Here" he said passing the deck to my brother.

Josh looked over the cards, his eyes widening before giving them to me to have a look at.

"I've never heard of them?" He said looking back at the shopkeeper.

I looked at the cards. Josh was right, these were cards that I had never heard of either.

The old man smiled at him before saying "that's because there new."

My eyes widened at the realisation of what that means "That means- "

"Yes. They are cards that no one else possesses. My Grandson won them in a duel tournament not too long ago, however he gave them to me and told me to keep them and give them to whom I deem worthy."

I looked over at my brother who looked completely shocked. I gave the deck back to my brother and took out the money my mother had given me before placing it on the counter. The old man looked at the money before pushing it back to me and producing a sharp glare.

"In this card shop you do not pay for the first deck of a duellist; therefore, this is not needed."

I looked at the old man completely shocked before saying "well there must be something I can do, err… oh wait, I saw that your roof needed mending, how about I come round at some point next week and come see if I can fix it!"

The man looked at me for a moment, then smiled and nodded, "okay that's a deal, I like the thought of having some else around besides Monty to keep me company."

I still felt as though a deck like that should be paid for however, I didn't want to argue with my new employer. I pocketed the money and looked back up towards the shelf where the old man had gotten my brothers deck from new deck from. There was a plain white package next to where the box was that had stored my brothers' cards.

The old man had caught my gaze and smiled at me.

"Those are some cards my son gave me from his deck" he said taking the small package off the shelf "you have them, I won't be using them and something tells me they just belong to you," he said handing them over to me.

"I can't take these…. you've already given us loads," I said slightly overwhelmed by the whole thing.

"Don't be silly, I know he would have wanted you to have them."

I smiled slightly and took the little packet from him before slipping it into my back pocket. I called Josh over, who had already opened up the box and was examining his cards to the minor detail.

"Oh wait," I said turning back to the man just as we were about to leave, "I should probably ask the name of the man who's roof I will be fixing next week?"

He smiled before replying "Solomon. Solomon Muto."

"Well, thank you for today Solomon and I'll see you next week, I'll be sure to report on all the new cards when I see you," I said making my way towards the door.

"I'll be looking forward to it," he replied before I headed off out the door to catch up with my younger brother who was still fixated on his new deck.

The walk home seemed to go very fast. Josh was too busy trying to plan strategies with his new cards and I couldn't stop thinking about the aura that was coming from Solomon's shop.

"Yubel," I said to myself so that Josh wouldn't here the conversation that we were having, "did you recognise that name from somewhere?"

"I don't know Jaden, I hadn't really thought about it until you said something, I don't think so"

I looked down at the package Solomon had given me and smiled. I had a feeling that whatever was inside this package was going to be key in helping rediscover my passion for duelling.

Once we arrived home my brother pulled me straight out into the garden for a duel. He had been talking about the deck for the last part of our walk home and decided that he was 'the greatest ever.'

I quickly popped back inside to put the loaf of bread I had gotten mum on the table as she was working out front whilst Tessa was asleep upstairs.

"Let's do this Jaden," I heard Josh shout from the garden. He had run off to grab the old duel disks I had brought back from Duel Academy that were stored in the shed.

As I went to take my deck out of my pocket the package Solomon had given slipped out onto the floor.

"Maybe you should use those cards another time," Yubel said fully knowing my brother probably needed to beat me in order to keep up this newfound confidence he had just discovered.

I picked up the package and placed it on the table next to the bread, agreeing with Yubel's opinion.

As I was about to head outside, I heard mum come in the front and hurriedly tidying.

"Jaden there's two people at the door for you. " she said picking up all the stuff Tessa had left on the floor.

"And you didn't even ask who they were?" I said in disbelief heading to the front door.

Once I arrived at the door, I was shocked to see who was standing there.

"Sy? Zane?" I said in disbelief.

"Long time no see Jaden!"

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**So, what did you think? Leave a review or a message to give me your thoughts.**

**Syrus and Zane have arrived on the scene! What does that mean for Jaden! Will his job at Solomon's shop have an effect on him? What kind of card did he give him and what was the strange aura at the shop about?**

**You'll have to keep favourite and like to find out!**

**Hope you all enjoyed**

**Writey x**


	2. An Unexpected Reunion

**Alright guys,**

**Hope you enjoyed chapter one.**

**Thank you to anyone who reviewed chapter one, it was really good to hear that people enjoyed the start of the story, I don't just write for myself I want you guys to enjoy the story I'm trying to tell.**

**Like I said reviews are always incredibly useful but remember that this is fiction, what happened in the series may not apply to this story at all times, so keep that in mind when reviewing and hopefully you'll enjoy this second part.**

**P.S: I've changed the rating to M just to be on the safe side, I don't want to be caught out by anything in case I change my mind over a potentially direction that the story will take during the course of writing it. Hopefully you all understand.**

**Anyway, buckle up and enjoy the ride.**

**Writey x**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh… so just enjoy the ride.**

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_**Jaden's POV**_

I can't really blame mum for answering the door I thought to myself as I boiled the kettle in order to make our Syrus and Zane a warm beverage.

You see, as much as my mum loves duelling, she doesn't really keep up with the professional scene. Yes, she used to duel professionally herself but that was quite a long time ago and her family does keep her rather busy these days.

So, when she saw two of the top 10 duellists in the country at her door, she probably didn't register their celebrity status.

After a rather uncomfortable hello at the door, I'd really had no choice but to let the guys in, there wasn't really much I could say that would have prevented their presence in my house and it might have been nice for Josh to have met his two favourite duellists.

It wasn't that I didn't want Zane and Sy to be here, no, far from it in fact, I just knew that I had a lot of explaining to do and I wasn't sure this was the best time or place to have that conversation.

Once, Zane and Syrus had come inside, the house had become a bit of a frenzy, they'd introduced themselves to mum, who obviously then realised who they were and became rather embarrassed by the whole thing.

She hadn't met any of my Duel Academy friends so the fact that she had met some probably excited her more than the fact that they were professional duellists but still, she was making a conscious effort to try and be more welcoming to the guys.

My brother had also come inside once mum had told him that some of my friends were here.

Josh loved to go on about how I was friends with some of the top duellists in the country but kept on at me over the fact that I had never once had them over to the house. The look on his face was priceless with them just suddenly being sat in his living room, especially it being Zane and Syrus.

"His face was rather funny," said Yubel who was watching my brother animatedly talk to Zane about duelling.

I finished up preparing the rest of the drinks, grabbed some biscuits and headed into the living room.

I sat down next to my mum on the big reclining sofa. My brother and sister, who had apparently woken up from her nap at the sound of guests, sat at the feet of Zane and Syrus who were in the two smaller seats that were sat adjacent to ours.

"Honestly, Mrs Yuki…,"

"Please Syrus, call me Susan," mum said warmly, smiling at my old dorm buddy.

"Of course, sorry, it feels like forever since we were at Duel Academy," he said whilst picking up my younger sister who was trying to get his attention, "it also nice to finally meet some of Jay's family, I don't ever remember him really talking about you guys," he said smiling at my younger sibling.

I smiled at Syrus before taking a sip of my tea. He had really grown up since Duel Academy that's for sure. I'd seen him duelling on the TV a few times and I hadn't really noticed the changes until actually seeing him in person. His hair was slightly shorter than I remember, he had also broadened out a little but the main thing that was really noticeable was his height. I mean I was certainly taller than I was at Duel Academy but Syrus had really grown up, physically and mentally. He was much calmer and more confident than I remember, and he sure as hell had definitely gotten taller, he was almost the same height as me!

In a way, it was nice to see my friend doing so well, we both went through a lot at DA so the fact that he was doing so well for himself made me swell with pride.

"I'm not surprised he didn't really talk about us, you see, his dad and I both went to Duel Academy as well, I was obelisk blue and his dad a slifer red, both of us were really proud when he got in," mum said patting me on the head as she spoke, "but we were also quite well known by a few of his teachers so I can get why he didn't want to talk about us on campus."

I looked at my mum. I have never told her about anything that happened at Duel Academy, she would only have worried. My parents were very protective at the best of times without having to worry about me when I was duelling.

I looked at my brother who was still invested in a deep conversation with Zane about his cards.

I'd never tell anyone this but with everything that happened to me at the academy, I do worry about my brother going. That's why everything that happened, had to be kept a secret from my family, I've never liked keeping secrets from them, but the fact is that if I told them anything, I know for a fact that Josh would never be allowed to attend Duel Academy.

I mean, I'm sure that everything has improved, but there will always be that sense of doubt in my mind about him going even though I could never stop him, even telling my family the truth might not stop his desire to go.

As far as my family knew, I had just a normal day-to-day experience at Duel Academy.

"You know Jaden, eventually your family will find out about everything," Yubel said, clearly trying very hard not to give me another lecture.

She loved to tell me where I was going wrong, it was one of her many favourite things to do.

"You know Yubel, sometimes my thoughts are my thoughts and you don't need to chime in," I snapped back, trying not to admit that my duel spirit friend was correct.

I knew they were more than likely going to find out now that Zane and Syrus had all of a sudden reappeared back into my life.

"When is your next duel Zane?"

My brother was clearly very intent on finding out everything he could about the older of the two brothers.

"We have one coming up in the next week or so, I'm not sure, I think it's Tuesday or something, its actually here in New Domino," Zane said glancing towards his younger brother.

I looked back at Syrus who was clearly getting along well with my little sister, in fact she had pretty much fallen asleep next to him. She seemed to get attached to new people she met; I don't really understand it myself but hey if Sy was fine with her being there than so was I.

"That was actually part of the reason we're here Jay," Syrus said looking at me, "we were going to ask if you wanted to be in our VIP area for the duel, but now, I think it only fair that we invite all of you to our box for the duel."

I stared at Syrus for a minute.

This can't be right. I haven't seen them in almost two years and suddenly they're inviting me and my family to watch the duel in a packed-out arena. I really don't deserve this.

"Sy, I'm not sur…."

"Oh Syrus, Zane, thank you, we would love to," mum said not even allowing me to reply, "we haven't been to a live duel together since Jaden got back from the academy."

"Zane and I would be thrilled to have you all," Syrus said. Zane nodded his approval.

I looked at my brother, I could literally see he was about to explode with excitement. In one day, he had gotten a new deck with cards that not even Zane had heard of apparently, met two of his biggest idols and been told that he was their special guest at their next duel right here in New Domino.

"There's no way you can say no to that Jaden," Yubel said, clearly agreeing with my mother, "I agree, there is something else to this but you can't tell Josh that we can't go, I'd think he'd literally hate you forever."

Yubel was right, if I said no, I'd look like the bad guy.

I smiled at Syrus, "of course we'll go Sy, I need to see for myself if you're as good as they say you are now."

Syrus looked at me with a smile. I couldn't begin to imagine the effect that my silence had on my best friend. After graduation, I cut off from everyone, a number of people tried to reach out to me, Jesse, Bastion but Syrus, he tried everything he could to get in contact with me. At one point I almost did reach out to him, but it just never felt like the right time.

Mum prepared some food for everyone whilst we talked about the past few years. There wasn't really much to talk about, most of their social lives were in the news all the time and well I didn't really have that much to talk to them about except my job and the fact that I haven't duelled since Duel Academy.

"So, wait, let me get this straight, you haven't had a competitive match since DA?"

I could tell Zane didn't take well to this, but I needed to have this conversation with them some other place. I wasn't really sure what to say.

Mum entered from the kitchen at just the right time, "Zane, Syrus, did you want to stay for dinner? I've got to pop out and get some things anyway."

The two looked at each other then looked at me.

"If you're okay with that," Syrus said looking at me for approval.

"That sounds like a good idea," I said, it'll be nice getting to spend a bit more time with them I thought to myself as Tessa unwillingly detached my blue haired friend.

Mum gathered her things, got Tessa ready and made her way to the door.

"Jaden, your dad will be home soon, can you let him know that I've just popped out and will be back soon," she said peering her head round the door.

As if her words had summoned him themselves, Tessa's squeal signified the arrival of my father.

"I'm home," shouted a middle-aged man as he planted a kiss on the top of Tessa's head.

"Ah, I'm quickly going shopping, are you okay to look after Tess whilst I go out," mum said trying not to crash into my father on her way out, "I won't be long."

"Of course, see you in little while," dad said placing a small kiss on her forehead as she went out the door, "now where are my boys."

That was the queue for Josh to run and greet my father, "ahh there's one, where's Jaden?"

"Dad, Dad, you'll never guess who's here," Josh said to full of excitement to answer my father's question.

"Oh, we have some visitors, do we," he said, picking up Tess and making his way into the living room.

Zane and Syrus raised themselves up from there seated positions in order to greet my oncoming father.

"Ahh," my father said noticing that it was not just me who was in the room, "Zane, Syrus, I wasn't expecting to see you when I arrived home," he said attempting to shake their hands with Tess clambering all over him.

"Malcom, how are you?" Zane said far more in formerly than perhaps I was expecting for two people who had only just met, "we're actually here to see Jaden."

My dad looked at me before smiling mischievously.

"Wow, Jay, you actually have visitors," he said as everyone, including Yubel, decided to burst out laughing.

One thing you'll quickly learn about my dad is that he likes to joke around a lot with me and my brother. You see, he also has two brothers, one older and one younger and when they were our age, they used to love to play pranks and have a joke with each other so my father decided he would take the same approach with me and my brother by continually joking around with us.

"So, boys, how are you?" Dad said taking the seat that mum had vacated.

"Dad," Josh said interrupting dad again, "Zane and Syrus have invited us to watch them duel in New Domino next week!"

My dad looked at me in complete shock, "wow, what a gift, thank you very much," he said whilst trying to get his words out.

"Honestly, Malcom, it's the least we could do with everything that you've been doing for us recently," said Zane.

I looked at my dad in confusion before looking at Zane and then to Syrus who had clearly been meaning to tell me this at some point today.

"Wait, I'm confused you've met before," I said trying to wrap my brain around what was going on.

My dad looked at both Zane and Syrus before turning to me, "I've been meaning to tell you Jaden, Zane and Syrus are now clients of the company I work for, they signed up for a new scheme that we've started working on."

"Ah, that could be the reason they're here," Yubel interluded.

My family knew who most of my friends were from the Academy, I spoke about them between years whilst I was back home. They also knew that I hadn't really spoken to anyone since I got back which was probably the reason as to why dad hadn't said anything about working with Zane and Syrus.

"Well, Malcom," Syrus said looking particularly nervous, "the other reason we're here was to let Jaden know about the graduation reunion party happening at DA in a week or so."

"and there is the exclamation point," Yubel said.

My heart sank.

A reunion.

At Duel Academy.

I hadn't been back since, since that day, that argument.

Before I even had a chance to reply my mum, who clearly come back without us realising, came bursting through the door, "oh a reunion, how wonderful, Jaden you should go."

I knew I should, but I would have to face everyone, face her.

Why was Syrus and Zane tasked with telling me about it?

I could certainly think of one reason as to why.

I looked around the room at the expecting faces, I really had no choice but to say yes.

I nodded approvingly before saying, "I don't see why not."

I knew that either way I would have to face all of my old friends eventually, so why not go in at the deep end and see them all at once.

The conversation continued on into the evening and I couldn't help thinking what a day I'd had, not to mention the fact that I'd just found out about the reunion party.

It feels as though I've been going non-stop and as far as I was concerned, I was ready for bed.

Dinner was nice, we all sat around the dining table that had been extended for our extra guests.

Once everyone had finished the lasagne mum had made, Zane and Syrus decided it was time they best be heading off back to the hotel they were staying in whilst in New Domino.

"Thank you for your lovely hospitality, I'm sure we'll be over again soon and next time Josh, I'll bring my deck so that you and I can have a duel," Zane said thank my mother and smiling at my brother.

I could see the excitement written over Josh's face.

"It's been a pleasure having you," mum said who was clearly pleased with Zane's kind words, "you're welcome round anytime."

They quickly helped clear the table before making their way to gather their things, "I'll show them to the door," I said, knowing that they had probably intended to talk to me alone at some point but were too nice to have asked my family for privacy.

Once we had reached the front door all three of us stepped outside into the cold nights air.

"So," I said, not really knowing where to start.

There was so much that needed to be said but I wasn't sure where to begin.

"We've missed you Jay," Syrus said starting the conversation where I couldn't, "I knew you needed some time away from everything, but I was not sure if we'd see you again."

I felt my heart drop again, "of course you were going to see me again Sy, I just, wasn't sure where to start," I said feeling myself start to well up.

"Well, here's a solution, why don't we start right now, no more hiding and not talking to us, we're here for you Jaden because we're your friends," Zane said, smiling the entire time.

Trust Zane to know exactly what to say and when to say it I said to myself as I embraced the two of them.

"You're right Zane," I said smiling, "and I'll start by watching the two of you crush your opponent's next week."

"That, my friend, sounds like a plan," he said smirking.

And just like that, I felt like a little piece of me had been slotted right back into the Jaden Yuki puzzle.

I watched as my two friends, got into their car before pulling away into the darkness of the night.

I came back into the house, my parents were putting Tessa to bed, so I decided to be of help by finish off the cleaning up.

"You know Jaden, I think today has been a good day," Yubel said hovering over me as I finished putting away the dishes.

"You Yubel, you're actually right for once, although, I could really have done with that lie in this morning," I said smirking at the hovering figure.

"Trust you to only be thinking of sleep as the main point of the day," she said smirking.

Once I finished tidying up, I made my way upstairs and got ready for bed.

As the night wore on, I lay in my bed thinking about everything I had been told today.

I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep, there was just the same thing playing on my mind over and over again, I couldn't seem to get it out of my head.

That argument…

* * *

**So there you have it, that's chapter two!**

**Syrus and Zane are back!**

**Jaden is going back to DA but what is this argument all about?**

**I guess you'll have to favourite and follow to find out!**

**Don't forget to review!**

**Uploads won't usually be this regular, I just had a few chapters stored away, there might be one more this weekend if you're lucky!**

**Hope you all enjoyed!**

**Writey x**


	3. The Argument

**Hello people,**

**It's time for a flashback.**

**Hopefully you'll all enjoy this one, it sets up the reunion at DA and part of the story moving forward.**

**Also, this flashback may not coincide with the whole ending of Yu-Gi-Oh GX but I'm going to try and keep it as close as I possibly can, please understand that this is FF and that everything won't completely coincide with the real show, but I hope you all enjoy this anyway.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride.**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

_*Flashback*_

_I stood at the top of the cliff looking out across the water, it's so peaceful I thought to myself as I faintly heard of the footsteps of someone coming up behind me._

_The person approached me slowly trying not to disturb my thoughts._

_I knew it was Alexis, I could just tell, the scent of her perfume, the sound of her footsteps and the fact that she could just stand next to me without having to say a thing, she could just stand and peacefully watch alongside me._

_We hadn't exactly been on the same page over the past few days but we had won pair duel tournament and for a while I wasn't entirely sure that we were even going to win but that was Alexis and I, we had this unrivalled chemistry, something that I'd never felt before until the end of that duel._

_We stood peacefully for a while longer, just allowing the time to pass before I turned to look at her._

_She turned to face me, and I felt a wave of emotion course through me. I looked at her but, this time it was different. I looked into her eyes, except they weren't like normal, they had a golden shine to them that I'd never really noticed up until now. Her hair blew in the fresh sea breeze as she smiled at me and I felt something stir inside me, something that I'd never felt before._

_We stood for a few seconds just looking at each before she broke the silence, "you know, for a minute I wasn't sure we were going to win that thing," she said hesitantly looking back out to the sea view._

_I smiled before agreeing, "you know, you might be right but honestly Lex I knew we'd pull through."_

_She glanced back at me and smiled._

"_Jaden, at one point I'd thought we'd never be able to get back on track to win, but I shouldn't have doubted our friendship, that's what pulled us through," she said turning to look back at me, "I thought you'd finished with duelling altogether."_

_I looked at Alexis. She was right, it had fuelled my love for duelling again but something inside me knew that it wasn't going to last. These past few weeks I hadn't really missed it, with everything that had happened here at Duel Academy over the years, it was nice to just be able to sit back and not have to stress about anything._

"_Yeah Lex, I'm glad we managed to sort everything out, I'm just not sure about the duelling," I said, "I'm so glad we got to duel together one last time, I don't know, having that break made me feel more like myself again, maybe, I don't know, I'll give it a break for a while, try and find something else that I love."_

_I turned to face Alexis, but I wish I hadn't. _

_I could see the anger in her face, the same anger that had been there during the duel when I hadn't considered using her cards and I felt a pain rip through me._

"_Wait what done you mean 'one last time'," she said, clearly trying to hold everything in, "after everything you've been through, we've been through, you're just going to stop like that, did that duel mean nothing to you, was this whole thing one elaborate lie, just a joke to you the entire time."_

_I could see the anger building up within her, but I couldn't bring myself to lie to her and say that I still loved duelling._

"_Lex, please, there's never been a moment during my time at Duel Academy that I would change, meeting all of you was the best thing to happen to me but when you've been through, what I went through, there's a breaking point," I said trying to hold my emotions together. _

"_You know Jaden, we all went through a lot, every one of us has a reason to step away but I wouldn't have put you down as the person to give up first," she said._

_I could feel the malice in that sentence, the underlying message, she thought I was a coward, but she didn't understand, I had more than myself to think about, I had family that wanted to see me grow up, that I wanted to see grow up, I needed to be there for them. _

_She couldn't understand._

"_Alexis, you don't understand," I said trying not to break._

_That was the nail in the coffin._

"_OH, DON'T I UNDERSTAND JADEN YUKI, WELL LET ME UNDERSTAND."_

_I felt myself take a couple of steps back, I'd heard of the Queen of Obelisk's temper, I'd even witnessed it on occasion, but I'd never thought that I would be on the end it._

_Alexis edged closer to me._

"_You know Jaden, I always thought you were a good guy, someone that told me everything, told us everything, but clearly I don't know you at all," she said with a bitterness in her voice, "I thought I could trust you Jaden, I thought you were someone that would have never lied to me, but clearly I was mistaken. If it's so easy to turn your back on duelling, then maybe you should."_

_I couldn't take this; I didn't deserve this._

"_Oh, I'm so sorry," I said letting my anger out, "I'm so sorry for not wanting to have to go through everything all over again, christ, it's not like I didn't save the world or anything, I'm sorry for wanting to have a break from putting myself in danger."_

_I could feel my anger getting the better of me, it felt as though the Supreme King was takin g over me all over again.. I needed to try and control it before I said something I regretted, but I couldn't, everything was just coming out all at once, at someone that didn't even do anything to deserve it. Hell, I was the one with all the secrets, but I couldn't contain my anger at her comments._

"_You know what, screw it, I don't want to be on this island anymore, clearly I'm not wanted here anyway, I know you all think I've changed, I'M NOT STUPID," everything was boiling over, "heck Alexis, I saved you before didn't I, I helped get your brother back, or did you forget, you know maybe I should have just let you do everything by yourself, hell like you said 'I'm not a good guy' but I helped you out when you needed it, you know, maybe I should have just left your brother lost."_

_And there it was, the thing that I knew I'd regret the instant it had come out of my mouth. _

_The look on her face said it all, I had taken it too far, "Alexis, I didn…"_

"_Leave," she said not even able to meet me in the eyes anymore, I could see the tears running down her face._

"_Alexis," I said reaching out a hand._

_She slapped my hand away before I could get anywhere near._

"_Don't touch me," she said, if she wasn't angry before she definitely was now, "you of all people should know what that meant to me, finding my brother, how dare you bring that up, I don't ever want to see you again."_

_My insides began to ache. I knew that she meant those words._

"_I don't ever want to see you again, hell, it's not like it matters what I say anyway, by the sounds of it you're already going, I'm not surprised, a coward like you, turning your back on everyone that's ever cared for you here, just leave Jaden, don't bother saying bye to anyone, it's not like you're going to be missed anyway," she said as she sobbed._

_I stepped away from my sobbing friend, if I could even call her that anymore, and I felt a pain in my chest like none I'd ever felt. _

_I headed back to the slifer dorm, not even looking back but I knew she was looking at me. I could still here her sobs from afar before the patter of her feet leaving the cliff edge._

_I made my way back into the dorm, packed all my things and headed for the door, only to be greeted by Syrus._

"_Hey, Jay," said my little blue haired friend, "do you know why Alexis was crying, I was just on my way over to see you and say well done for winning but I saw her rush pas…. hey why are you packed, are you going somewhere."_

_I could barely look into my friends' eyes, knowing what I'd said to Alexis, but I had to go now, I just had to get away from everything._

"_Ugh, yeah Sy, I've got to go, I've…. Ugh… been asked to do something back in New Domino City and I they said I have to leave right away, I'll be seeing you around okay?"_

_I could see the disappointment in my friend's face, he clearly knew there was more to it but didn't want to question it, "oh okay, well, I guess I'll see you around then Jay."_

_I nodded at my friend before leaving. _

_I just had to get away._

_Hell, maybe Alexis was right, maybe I have changed I thought to myself, maybe I am a coward._

_One thing was for sure, I needed to get away, get away from Duel Academy, and get away from duelling altogether._

* * *

_**Syrus's POV **_

As I headed back to the hotel, I couldn't help but think about the day we'd had.

After almost two long years, I'd finally seen Jaden again.

In a way though, it felt bitter-sweet, I mean, he hadn't even tried to contact me in two years.

I'd never fully understood why he'd left so soon, clearly it wasn't because he'd been asked here to New Domino City and maybe in time, he'd be able to tell me the reason why.

There had to be more too it, surely.

I looked out the window of the car as we travelled down the motorway, it had just started to rain.

I could tell my brother was still disappointed with Jaden, after all, he had literally left without saying goodbye to anyone.

It had taken me a while to convince him to come but I think once we arrived and saw him, my brother eased a bit.

It was part of the reason we were here, no one else wanted to come and tell him about the reunion. I think that they were all still slightly bitter still about everything that had happened with him just leaving but I knew they'd all come around.

I still can't believe that he hasn't duelled since Duel Academy, that's so not him but maybe that's part of the reason why he'd left I thought to myself as we neared the hotel.

I knew I was overthinking this way too much.

I just had to let him take his time with everything and I was sure that he would talk to me about it eventually.

I looked over at my brother who was clearly focusing on the driving, "hey, do you think Jaden will come to the reunion?"

My brother turned to look at me before turning back to the road, "I don't know, I'm sure he will, but he didn't look particularly excited by the idea."

I knew my brother wasn't particularly pleased with me offering Jaden's family tickets to watch our duel, but I thought it was the right thing to do.

If we wanted to reconnect with him, we needed to establish some kind of groundwork and what better way to do that then invite his entire family to watch a duel together.

Once Zane pulled the car up outside our hotel and parked, we both got out and made our way inside.

Once we reached our rooms and said goodnight, I got myself ready before settling down.

I quickly checked my phone to see if I had missed anything whilst I was with the Yuki's.

I had a number of texts from people about the reunion, asking how it had gone with Jaden today but one message in particular caught my eye;

_Hey Sy,_

_Hope you and Zane are okay,_

_I'd have text your brother as well but he's even worse at replying than I am._

_Let me know how you got on today._

_I'm working for the next few days so might be a while before I reply._

_Thanks again for volunteering to go see him, I'm sure he was excited to see you._

_Anyway, speak soon,_

_Love,_

_Alexis_

I quickly typed a response letting Alexis know it went well and that I'd fill her in on the details when I saw her next.

I was surprised that I'd had a text from Alexis.

Everyone knew that her and Jaden hadn't talked since there big argument.

She'd never told any of us what the argument was about, but I knew it must have been a pretty bad one because she didn't talk to any of us for a few days after and kept changing the conversation every time someone brought it up.

It was strange, they'd literally just won a duel tournament and then all of a sudden, they'd fallen out, I couldn't wrap my head around it.

Once I finished replying to everyone, I got myself ready for bed before turning off the light and drifting off the sleep.

One thing was for sure, knowing that Jaden was around again sure did excite me.

* * *

**There's your argument guys.**

**Let me know what you thought.**

**Clearly Jaden has some things to make right with his old pals but what about Alexis and that text to Syrus? Did she mean everything she said in the argument?**

**What about her not telling everyone what was said? Do you think she's in the wrong?**

**Thank you for reading, I won't be uploading as regularly as I have the past few days but will try to keep it as frequent as I can.**

**Again like I said early I can't please everyone but I do appreciate all feedback so don't forget to review.**

**Anyway, have a good week all.**

**Writey x**


	4. Mr Maloney's Bakery

**Right it's time for chapter four of Rediscovery.**

**I hope you all enjoy this one, we're going to follow Jaden in a bit more this time.**

**If you haven't already be sure to review the previous chapters, they're always useful and it's good to hear what you guys think.**

**Like I said in the last chapter, I changed the rating again back to T, it might change again but for now I'm going to leave it at this.**

**Righty-ho, onto the chapter.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride.**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV **_

_Beep Beep Beep…..._

I knew I had a few more minutes…...

_Beep Beep Beep…._

Just five more minutes…

_Beep Beep Beep…_

I didn't really have five more minutes; in fact, I was already incredibly late, but I laid there for a few more seconds trying to gain any ounce of rest that I could before the day started.

After a few more minutes of the noise, I rolled over onto my side to get a view of what was making all the racket. I squinted my eyes just enough to focus on the bright red lights that shone in my direction. As my eyes focussed on the lights, the cogs started to turn in my mind.

Damn it I thought as I bolted out of bed and towards the bathroom.

It was 8:30.

Today was Friday, I had work and I started at 9.

I ran to the bathroom, but the door was closed. I could hear a faint muffled sound over the running water and realised that my dad must have been in the shower.

I banged loudly on the door trying to get his attention, "hey, can you open up, I'm running late," I shouted trying to be heard over what I could vaguely work out to be an awful rendition of Kelly Clarkson's 'Since U Been Gone'.

I waited a minute or so before the water shut off and I heard a shuffling of feet. The lock of the door turned, and my dad appeared with soaking wet hair, still humming away.

"Agh, good morning sport, let's see, banging on the door, very agitated, that can only mean that you're late for work again, am I right," my dad said with a cheeky grin as he slid past me towards his room.

I grunted at him before rushing into the shower.

Unlike my father, I had a habit of being late to work. He started at 10 but was always up early because he had further to travel to work yet he was never late. Me on the other hand, I was constantly late to work. In a good way I was lucky that our neighbour was my boss otherwise I'd probably have been fired ages ago.

I finished in the shower and ran back to my room, changing and grabbing everything I needed before heading down the stairs.

I quickly headed to the kitchen and grabbed some food that mum had left out for me before she took Josh to school. She always made me eat before I went to work because she was always worried that I would end up eating everything at the bakery instead of selling it.

I ate the toast that mum had left for me before running to the door.

I checked my phone.

8:53.

It was a 10-minute run.

I could do it in 7.

Probably.

I picked up my keys, put on my shoes and sprinted out the door, fully well knowing I was probably going to be late again.

I made it to the back door of Mr Maloney's bakery, this was my usual entrance point when I was late for work because I knew that if I entered in the front, I would definitely have been caught.

I looked at the clock.

9:01.

Damn it, late again I thought to myself as I went inside.

I made my way to the staffroom.

The staffroom was pretty much a room with one chair, a couple of hooks and an old TV that only played three TV channels.

I quickly clocked in before taking off my jacket.

I don't know why I shower when I'm late for work I said to myself, feeling the sweat drip from my head. I hated having to run to work because I knew I'd be all sweaty for an entire shift.

"You know Jaden," Yubel said appearing beside me, "if you just got up in time, you wouldn't need to run, and Mr Maloney could give you a lift in."

I scowled at Yubel.

She was right though, Mr Maloney always said that if I was ready by 8:30 I could have a lift.

I was just never ready.

Once I was finally ready to make my entrance, I headed towards the front of the shop.

Mr Maloney's bakery wasn't the biggest one in New Domino, but it was certainly the most popular. Everybody knew him, he was very friendly and could never say no to anyone. He only hired a few people because mostly, people didn't mind waiting around for their goods because it was a chance to socialise with everyone.

I was just hoping not to run into my boss this morning.

I made my way to the front of house where there were already a few customers including the regular Friday attendee, Mrs Norris.

"Ahh there you are Jaden, I was beginning to worry that you weren't going to show," she said smiling at me.

Mrs Norris loved to wind me up in the morning. To be honest, Mrs Norris loved to wind everyone up in the morning.

I smiled back at her, "You know me Mrs N, I love to make a grand entrance."

"If only you could make that entrance on time," someone said from behind me.

It was Mr Maloney.

I turned to look at him quickly, trying to put on some sort of cheeky grin, "I wasn't actually that late today believe it or not."

Mr Maloney smiled at me, "well, whether you were late or not, you're here now so can you give these to Mrs Norris please," he said handing me a brown paper bag.

By the smell of the bag, I could tell that Mrs Norris had ordered two cheese buns and a cornish pasty, most likely for Mr Norris.

"That is true," I said handing the bag to Mrs Norris.

She took it from me and smiled kindly, "thank you Jaden, you know Henry, the boy always turns up eventually, even if he is slightly late," she said to Mr Maloney.

"That is true," Mr Maloney said mimicking my voice in response as Mrs Norris left.

I liked Mr Maloney. Not just because he allowed me to be late sometimes but because he was down to earth. He could take a joke, but he could hand them out as well. He treated his customer like they were his friends.

That's why I liked to work for him.

He was a good guy.

"So, Jaden, why were we late this morning," Mr Maloney said serving another customer a loaf of bread.

The other thing about Mr Maloney was the he was really easy to talk to. I pretty much told him anything. He just seemed trustworthy, like you could tell him something and he wouldn't go and tell the first person he saw. Those people are good to keep around you.

I smiled at him, "well, I kind of slept in because I'd had a few friends round last night and I had a lot to take in."

I wasn't sure whether that was the right thing to say but at least it was the truth.

Mr Maloney smiled and nodded at me.

Ever since his wife had died, Mr Maloney had lived with his son. Cameron was roughly the same age as me and worked here in the bakery with his dad.

His wife, Fiala, had died during my second year of Duel Academy. I'd never really known her very well because she became rather ill when I was young, in fact not long after Cameron was born, and Mr Maloney become more committed to caring for his wife whilst she was sick and less concerned with his bakery.

However, I think after her passing he used the bakery as a means of an escape rather seeing it as a burden and I think that's what sort of drew me to help him try to keep it going, the fact that in a way he was doing this for Fiala and that is something that I can relate to, doing something for a loved one.

I continued on with my work for the next few hours. In the bakery we rotate roles so that the work doesn't get to stale. I had already done my shift on front desk and baking before realising that my mum had asked me to take some time off work over the next few weeks with all the events that were coming up.

Brilliant, the day I need to ask for time off at work is the day that I arrived late I thought to myself.

I looked at Mr Maloney, who was currently icing some of the gingerbread men that needed to go out for selling in the next few minutes or so.

"Hey, Mr M," I said trying to sound relatively confident, "do you think I could have a few days off over the next few weeks, there a few events I've got coming up and I really can't miss them."

He glanced up from his work, with a mildly surprised look on his face.

"I don't know what's more surprising Jaden, the fact that you said that with next to no confidence or that you actually have some plans," he said laughing to himself.

I smiled.

I don't see why I was concerned; Mr Maloney wasn't the kind of person to keep us here if we had something else going on.

"You can have the time off Jaden, in fact take off when you need just make sure you're here for Cameron's last day," he said, still concentrating on the face of one of the gingerbreads he was icing.

Cameron was leaving in a week or so to move to a new job. I think he felt guilty about leaving his dad alone to work the family bakery by himself, but Mr Maloney had urged him to go for the job and had told him that he would find a replacement for him. He even jokingly said that they would probably be better than Cameron anyway.

Deep down I knew that he was sad to have his son leaving him for another job, but I could tell that he knew he was doing the right thing in letting him go.

Cam had promised his dad that he'd work every day until his last day as a way of saying goodbye to the shop, that's why I could probably have such an amount of time off.

I looked at Mr Maloney. He was clearly to invested in the gingerbread men to have realised he'd basically given me a fortnight off work.

"Are you sure, Mr M, that is quite a long time," I said still surprised that he'd actually allowed me the time off in the first place.

"That is my offer Jaden, take it or leave," he said finally looking up from his work, "just make sure to write it down on the rota before you go home today so I remember and don't ring your mum complaining or something," he said with a little wink and smiled.

For the rest of my shift I had the task of restocking all the shelves that the costumers had taken things from. It was pretty much plain sailing for the rest of the day from there, I pottered about until doing all the small tasks no one really wanted to do before it was time for Mr Maloney to shut up shop.

"Would you like a lift home Jaden," my boss said as he locked the back door behind us.

I wasn't going to say no, especially as he was my neighbour, "that would be great, thank you."

I climbed into the passenger seat of Mr Maloney's car before we set off for home.

As I sat staring out the window of Mr Maloney's Toyota Corolla, I couldn't help but think about the past day or so.

I hadn't really had a chance to reflect on everything that I'd been told, that had happened. I mean there had been so much, and it still didn't really feel real. My friends, the duel, the Duel Academy reunion, my brothers first deck, everything was such blur but for once I wasn't worried about where all of it might lead, only excited.

We continued on for a few more minutes and I couldn't help but think about what the Duel Academy reunion would be like.

How would everyone be with me? Had anyone changed?

I just knew that I would have to face Alexis at some point whilst I was there.

Like the others I hadn't seen her since the day I'd left Duel Academy, but I felt as though I missed her the most. I think with the way we left things, with the argument, it pained me more to know that she might hate me, more than anything else.

Every day, I'd still feel the regret for what I had said to her, in a way I wish I could go back and take my words back but I knew I couldn't.

The worst part was that there was this ache in my chest ever since I'd left the island that wouldn't seem to go anyway and would only appear when my mind slipped back into thoughts about Alexis.

I could tell that Mr Maloney had been keeping a casual eye on me the past few minutes, "you know Jaden, life is too short to be worrying about every regret you've ever made."

Right, I'm convinced this man is a mind reader, I thought to myself as I adjusted my body to be join him in looking out the front window rather than side.

"Take it from someone who has lost a lot, live in the moment, don't ever look back, only to the future because the future will be gone before you've even realised it's arrived," he said.

In many ways he was right, I just needed to focus on the past, I'm sure that everything will work itself out, I don't know how long that may take, but I was sure that I could start by attending the Duel Academy reunion and showing my face.

Once we had arrived back at the house, I made my way towards my front door, just as Mr Maloney did his.

"You know Mr M, we're always here if you need anything, you know that right," I said to my neighbour just before he shut his door.

I knew he was still slightly lonely and maybe my words didn't mean much, but he was rather important to me, whether or not I admitted it to him.

He smiled and nodded at me before going into his house.

I put my key in the door and opened it up to the sound of a set of feet thundering towards my location.

"Well, well, well, if it is my little Tessy bear," I said as bent down to grab my sister as she collided into my arms, "how are we today."

"GOOD," she shouted at me as I picked her up off the ground, "want to watch some TV," she said trying to get away from my vice like grip.

I put her down and she pulled me away into the front room where my brother and mum were already watching some television documentary.

We sat and watched the rest of the show together. We had brief conversations about our days before mum decided it was time to make some dinner.

"Jaden don't forget about the package you left on the table," mum said as she walked away to start work on the food.

I looked over at the table and saw the white envelope that held the cards that Solomon had given to me yesterday at the card shop was still in the same place I had left it.

I stood up out my seat and went over to the table picking up the package.

I hadn't really given much thought to the cards with everything that had been going on.

I tore open the top of the package trying not to damage the cards that were inside.

As I pulled them out, I noticed that there were only four cards inside the envelope.

Hmm, not a full new deck then I said to myself as I peeled away the seal that was covering the cards.

I turned the cards over and I looked at the first two cards in complete shock, I couldn't believe my eyes.

There is no way, I thought to myself as I stared at the cards.

In front of me, were the cards Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

"My, my," Yubel said, appearing over my shoulder, "those are quite some cards Jaden."

I looked at my duel spirit friend and then back at the cards once more.

Indeed, they were two very special cards.

But how did Solomon get a hold of these cards, I thought to myself, only one person in the world had possession of such monster cards and I don't believe he would have given them too him.

I quickly turned over the remaining two cards and examined them as well.

One was a polymerization and one was a fusion monster that I had never heard of.

_**Dark Magician of Time and Space (ATK/3200 – DEF/2800)**_

"I've never even heard of this card before," I said expecting Yubel to answer, "must be a new type of fusion monster or something, what do you think?"

"Jaden, you... you… you might want to turn around," Yubel said sounding as shocked as I did when I first saw the cards.

I looked at Yubel who was clearly shocked at something looking over my shoulder.

I turned to face the other way and boy; did I get a shock.

"Im… Im…. Impossible," I said not believing what was in front of me.

"You know my young acquaintance, I do believe I have heard of this chap from somewhere, I just can't put my finger on it," said a floating duel spirit of Dark Magician.

* * *

**Surprise! **

**There you have it folks, there are the cards that Solomon gave Jaden.**

**Now, before you all bite my head off, there is a reason that Jaden has been given these cards. There will be explaining done, but you'll have to wait for that. I know it might not seem realistic, but this is fanfiction after all and these cards are important to the story!**

**The fusion monster is a card that I came up with. I know there could be other cards used in its place but because of Yu-Gi-Oh GX and its fusion summoning I thought this would be fun.**

**I know it probably won't please everyone but hopefully you guys won't be bothered too much!**

**Anyway, you also got to meet Mr Maloney as well, what did you think of the chapter?**

**Please follow, favourite and review. Reviews are incredibly helpful insight into what you guys think, and I do read everyone!**

**You won't have to wait too long for the next chapter and believe me, you won't want to miss it, there is an arrival of a certain person!**

**Anywho, hope you all enjoyed!**

**Writey x**


	5. Backtracking

**Here we go everyone, it's time for round five.**

**I hope you're all enjoying the story so far, there's still a long old way to go but hopefully you're all enjoying it.**

**As, I've said on many occasions, if you haven't already, go and review because it is good to know what you guys think of the story.**

**Anyway, let's get this started shall we, time to reveal a certain somebody to our ensemble!**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride.**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Alexis's POV **_

I looked out at the view across the water as I headed for the mainland, the sun beating down from the heavens as we neared our destination.

It was strange stopping.

Having travelled so much over the last few years it was nice knowing I was about to stop somewhere for a little while and just get some time to reflect.

I'd not been back to Japan for so long I'd forgotten what everything looked like, the buildings, the streets, the people, everything was a blur.

I looked to my left to see Jesse still quietly asleep.

It had been quite the few years since we'd last set foot at Duel Academy.

After DA and everything that had happened, I'd decided to do what was best for me and go and study abroad for a while.

I decided to go to Duel College, something that I had always wanted to do, I'd even dreamed about honing my craft as a duellist there whilst at Duel Academy, I was just never sure of going and leaving the people I loved behind.

I stayed there and studied there for roughly a year, but decided I needed a change of scenery, so I decided to go to Europe and just explore for a while. There was never really any plan. I just wanted to enjoy myself whilst I had a bit of spare time.

The real world was so serious that perhaps having some time to just explore was just the thing I needed to get my head straight after being away for so long.

I'd stayed in contact with almost everyone at Duel Academy. We called every now and again, dropped the odd text to each other but mainly I would just speak to Syrus, Zane and Jesse.

I guess I was just closer to them and they understood everything I was going through.

The blue haired boy beside me made a rumbling sound before turning over to lean on my shoulder.

In a funny way that was a metaphor for our relationship, him leaning on me.

Jesse had, like Syrus and Zane, toured the pro circuits as well for a while after Duel Academy. He never really spoke about why he decided to stop but I always knew it came back to Jaden.

Jaden.

There was so much pain there for the both of us but especially him.

Jesse had never got much of a chance to say goodbye to his friend and I knew that broke him. Not in a 'end of the world' scenario, he just missed having his best friend around like he did at the DA.

There was never really a plan to meet up you see, it just kind of happened.

Jesse had finished duelling about two months ago and I was deep in my travels. I think in a way he just wanted some company, but I was never really sure why he wanted to come travelling.

He'd contacted me asking whether he could join me.

I'd never really thought about it much until he'd actually asked to join me.

I liked being on my own but it was nice.

It was strange having someone there the past few months when you've been without all the people you care about for so long.

We'd become so close these past few months that I almost saw his as a second brother.

For him, I think it was just nice to be back around someone familiar.

We'd both got our invites to the Duel Academy reunion at the same time and I knew that excited Jesse.

He knew he was going to see his friends again and I knew that was what he was looking forward to the most.

I stared at my phone that I had placed in my lap without thinking.

It was only the other day that everyone had decided to invite Jaden to proceedings.

I knew we had too, I just wasn't sure how he'd take it.

I'd had a brief conversation with Syrus about everything that had happened whilst him and Zane had gone to see Jaden.

There were so many other people that could have gone but I just thought they should have been the first people to see him again.

I could have sent Jesse, but I just think he would have broken down in probably a fit of rage and then shed a few tears.

It was hard even just thinking about Jaden. In a way I missed him but after what he said, I don't know, you just don't say that to friends.

I knew I shouldn't have said what I said as well, but him, giving up duelling, it just didn't make any sense to me.

Then him saying that 'I wouldn't understand', if he trusted me then he would have been able to have told me.

There were times where I thought of finding him, trying to sort our differences but in the end, I just decided that it was best left alone until we were to meet in person.

I felt movement to my left and Jesse stretched out his arms narrowly avoiding my face.

"Good afternoon, sleepy head," I said as Jesse's blue eyes gradually revealed themselves to the world.

"Are we there yet," he said, "I really need the toilet and I am not going on this plane," lifting himself off my shoulder.

"We're only another 10 minutes or so away I think," I said in response.

Truly I had no idea how far out we were but honestly if I hadn't had said that then Jesse would have moaned without a doubt.

"Do you think anyone else will be there when we arrive," he said looking out of his window.

"I'm not sure, I hadn't really thought about it," I said back to him.

I hadn't spoken to anyone about when they were set to arrive.

I knew the Chancellor Sheppard would probably already be there. I had a feeling that Dr Crowler would be as well but honestly, I didn't expect many others to be there when we arrived.

The flight lasted another 30 minutes or so and Jesse moaned the entire way, much to my annoyance.

Once we had finally landed, we made our way to collect our stuff.

We had both brought all of our duelling gear, clothes and stuff because, well, I wasn't sure where next was after this reunion.

We didn't really expect anything dangerous to happen, but we wanted to be sure that if we were called upon then we were able to put up a fight.

Once we had our stuff, we headed for the port, we were headed for a small boat that would only carry the two of us.

Chancellor Sheppard had told us that because there was only two of us that having a smaller boat was probably just a better idea.

We found the boat that we were looking for and made our way on board.

As you'd expect it was just a small boat that was about enough to carry two people to Duel Academy island.

As we grew nearer and nearer to the island, I began to get déjà vu.

"Jesse," I said turning to my friend who was trying to find the island out the front window, "does this feel weird to you."

He turned around to look at me and smiled, "nope, I missed this place when I left, even though I did almost die," he said with a little chuckle.

I looked at him amused. There always has been an uncanny resemblance between him and Jaden, but they were so different as well.

After about another hour, we finally reached Duel Academy and boy did it still look the same.

We reached the landing dock and were greeted by more people than I had expected.

Chancellor Sheppard and Dr Crowler were there as expected but the people that were with them were certainly a surprise.

"Axel, Jim, Hassleberry, what are you guys doing here," Jesse said sounding like an excited child.

"Well, mate, we gathered that since we were only a week or so away, we'd have some fun and arrive early," Jim said in his clear Australian accent.

It was good to know that we had some company for the week or so that we were going to be here whilst the others were still to arrive.

I wasn't sure exactly when people would get here but I thought that they'd probably arrive in groups.

"Now you two, let's go get you settled in, everyone will be staying in Obelisk Blue whilst you're here on the island," Chancellor Sheppard said motioning for us to follow him.

We made our way back across the island towards the Obelisk Blue dorm, seeing all the different parts as we passed.

Nothing had really changed; everything was pretty much still the same. The Slifer red dorm still looked worn down and Ra Yellow still wasn't quite as good as Obelisk Blue, well, in my opinion anyway.

The island itself still had the same layout and towering above everything was the Duel Academy building in all its glory.

Once we arrived at our rooms, we were handed different room keys by Dr Crowler.

There was no organisation to it, it was just get given a key and go to your room.

I was given a key just down the hallway from Jesse.

Again, the male and female co-ordination had gone out the window.

I quickly unpacked my things and had a quick shower before going to look around the island a bit more.

I knew that I was silly to wonder round, I mean I'd been here plenty of times before, but it was just nice to take it all in again whilst I was back for a while, it was nice to reminisce.

In the end, I just found myself walking aimlessly.

I'd left the others at the table once we'd finished eating because I just needed to be myself for a while.

I hadn't really thought about it until we'd actually arrived but being back here sort of signalled the end of a journey and the start of something new for me.

Even though you could say I'd backtracked and come back to Duel Academy, this was almost like saying goodbye to the place.

I wasn't saying goodbye the people, far from it. I think there was more to this group than we give ourselves credit for but the fact that we're all going to be here one last time, it made me feel like this stage of the journey was complete.

I hadn't realised it but I'd found myself at the edge of the cliff looking out across the water, the same place I'd had my last conversation with Jaden.

It was never how I intended the conversation to go, all that time ago, I just came to see him, I thought to myself as little tear ran down my face.

I felt a presence behind me, I knew it was Jesse.

He silently and stood beside me, almost as I did with Jaden two years ago.

"You know Jess," I said still staring out at the water still sobbing, "I never came here to argue with him."

Out the corner of my eye I saw a faint smile pierce my friends' lips, "I know you didn't Lex."

I smiled faintly.

Being back here it made me quite emotional, clearly.

"Lex, Jaden never wanted to argue with you either, I'm sure of that," he said turning to face me.

I felt a dew more tears run down the side of my face.

"You know Jess the saddest part is I came to tell him that…. tha…."

"I know, Lex."

He knew what I was trying to say but I just couldn't say it out loud. Not after everything that had happened.

I kept staring out across the water thinking of everything I wanted to say to him, everything I could say to him, yet none of it made any sense in my head.

I knew I just needed to talk to him.

We just needed to make things right.

I needed him back.

As I stood there looking out across that clear ocean, Jesse by my side, one thing was for sure, this feeling I had for Jaden, I had recognised it many a time before when I thought of that boy, just this time, I knew I needed to do something about it, I knew I needed to tell him how I felt.

* * *

**Well, there is Alexis, featuring Jesse, Axel, Jim and Hassleberry.**

**They're all already at Duel Academy awaiting the arrival of the others.**

**What did you think?**

**There's definitely a lot that Jaden and Alexis clearly need to talk about!**

**I'm not going to put a time limit on the next upload, but I will try to get it out as soon as I can.**

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**Reviews are always also very helpful.**

**Anyway, take care and enjoy the weekend! **

**Writey x**


	6. The Duel

**Time to move on to the next chapter.**

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**Right, shall we get this thing moving?**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride.**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

It had been four very long days. The weekend had dragged on a considerable amount.

There wasn't really much to do.

Dad took us to the beach on the Saturday and Sunday we spent the day as a family, we don't often get many weekends together, so it was nice to spend a little bit of time just the five of us.

Monday I was here on my own, dad had work and Josh had school, it was actually his last week before he finished for summer.

Mum had taken Tessa out to a toddler class for most of the day which meant I just spent the day on my own watching movies.

Well at least trying to watch them.

You see since Friday; I was now in possession of not only one, but two duel spirits.

Yes, I now had two duel spirits.

This was not only an extra voice inside my head, but it was also another opinion to go alongside my own and Yubel's.

Ahh Yubel.

She hadn't taken kindly to Dark Magician's arrival.

Dark Magician, or DK as he had wished to be known, was actually quite cool to have around. The issue was that he and Yubel never stopped arguing.

I didn't mind the odd quarrel every now and again, heck I was famous for them, it was the fact that they didn't stop.

Sometimes I couldn't even sleep because they were arguing.

It was Tuesday, duel day.

The day I got to watch Syrus and Zane duel professionally, live.

I was very excited, though I was pretty sure I was outmatched by my brother who had been telling his entire school he was best friends with professional duellists.

It was the middle of the afternoon, it was hot, the sun was shining, and life was good.

I was laying on with of the loungers in the garden next to my mum as we both watched Josh and my dad, who had taken the whole day off work so he wouldn't make us late for any reason, duel.

When these two duelled it was always incredibly close, however, dad had the upper hand in this one and I wasn't sure whether Joshie was going to be able to make a comeback.

"Now that I've summoned supreme taco, I can activate it's special ability," shouted my dad.

That's right, my dad had a deck made up of food monsters and boy did he know how to use it.

I mean everyone always wondered why I loved food so much, imagine watching your own dad duel with huge food like monsters as a kid, I was doomed from the start.

"I knew that move was coming," said one of the two floating figures above my head.

"No you didn't DK, honestly, I bet you've never even seen these cards before," Yubel said, still incredibly agitated by the wizard.

"Well, I mean, I knew he was going to do something like that," DK said, trying to hide his embarrassed face, "it's not like you had any idea."

Yubel looked at DK, "I mean, I did, I've seen him duel plenty of times before, that move is one of his usual's," she said, smirking at my new friend.

They continued for another five minutes until I'd had enough.

"Right you two, I'm tired of you arguing, DK I will chop your card in half and Yubel, I will continually eat cereal until you can't take it anymore," I said glaring at the two of them.

They both went silent.

"You can't even eat that much cereal," Yubel said, sounding like a little child.

She really hated it when I ate cereal, so much in fact that she tries to float away every time I'm eating it but I remind her that we are connect and even if she does float away, she'll still be able to hear me.

I could see my mother's smirk next to me.

I'd told my family about Dark Magician after they'd asked why I'd gone pale after looking at my new cards.

I couldn't really lie to them; they'd eventually find me talking to him at some point.

"Now you know how it feels to be a parent Jaden," my mother said continuing on with her smirking.

I gave her a glare before turning back to watch the rest of the duel.

If you thought that my family had been shocked to have seen Josh's deck, they were ten times more surprised when I showed them the cards that Solomon had given me.

Dad did eventually win the duel even though my brother had attempted to make a good match of it.

I knew he was still getting used to using his new deck, but I could see the disappointment in his face.

"Chin up kiddo," my dad said as they approached the other loungers close by, "you know for someone who hasn't even been to Duel Academy yet, I had to put everything into the duel just to beat you."

I could see my brother mood change slightly at my father's words.

"Wise words," said DK who had clearly seen the same facial expression on my brother as I had.

We sat chatted for a while before mum got up to make some dinner.

"Susy, you don't need to make anything," my dad said.

Mum looked at my dad with a puzzled expression, waiting for him to continue, "there will be food before the start of the duel, I spoke to Zane and Syrus about it yesterday."

I forgot that my dad had my friends on speed dial.

Ever since I'd found out that my dad was basically a business partner with the Truesdale's, I'd realised he knew more about their daily plans than I did.

We chilled out in the garden for the rest of the afternoon before my dad and mum decided that they were going to get ready for the evening's festivities.

I picked up Tessa who had pretty much been asleep all afternoon and brought her inside to get ready.

I was followed closely by my brother, "Jaden," he said with a hint of hesitation, "why can't I use my cards."

I put Tessa down, who had woken up and scrambled off to find my parents, and then turned to face my brother.

"Josh, you'll get there, it takes time to master a deck, you knew how long it took me to work mine out," I said squatting down to talk to him.

He looked up at me with a small smile.

I knew that my words wouldn't really mean much but there was definitely someone who's words would have an impact. It had taken me quite a while to work out a strategy for my deck when I first got it, so with Josh having cards that no one had even heard of probably made it even more difficult for him to get used to them.

I took my brother upstairs and told him to get ready, before heading to my own room.

I put on a simple white tee, some black jeans and a pair on black converse before heading back downstairs.

I didn't want to go overboard and dress up like I was heading to a meeting. I just felt as though I needed to do me and dress casual.

I grabbed all the bits I'd usually take out, my phone, my wallet, my key, etc and made my way to meet my parents.

I turned around to look at my family who were also all coming out of their rooms, they had all dressed quite smart.

My dad wore a white shirt with a waistcoat with a blazer over the top.

My mum had gone with a simple dress and heels whilst my brother and sister were both in rather smart looking attire.

I suddenly felt under dressed for the evenings proceedings.

"You know Jaden, maybe you should change into something a little smarter," I heard DK say from behind me.

I spun around to see that he had actually changed into a smart outfit.

"DK, why have you changed, no one can see us but Jaden," Yubel said laughing at my other duel spirit.

"You know Yubel, it doesn't harm to make yourself look the part every once in a while," DK said in response.

I smirked.

"Jaden, aren't you going to wear something more formal than that," my mum said clearly not pleased with my choice of clothing, "this is our first night out as a family in a while and we're going somewhere rather posh."

I didn't really see going to a duel as 'posh' but I understood her point.

"Mum, if I turn up to the duel in a suit or something, Syrus and Zane will think I've lost my mind," I said in response.

They hadn't really seen me wear anything else other than my Duel Academy gear, but I knew they wouldn't be able to picture me wearing any else than this.

My mum eventually agreed to allow me to wear the outfit I had on and we made our way out of the house.

Dad had ordered a taxi to get us there because he didn't really fancy driving and he knew that the traffic would be horrendous.

It took just over 30 minutes for us to get to the duel arena, traffic was even worse than expected.

Mum had made sure that we had left early enough so that, if a situation like this did arise, we would be at the stadium in plenty of time.

Once we had arrived, we made our way towards the VIP entrance, Zane had sent my dad (see dad knows everything) a text with all the details we needed once we'd arrived.

I looked at the short line heading into the VIP entrance and guided my family towards.

Syrus and Zane had told us to get to the stadium early enough so that we could go in with them once they'd also arrived.

The slight issue was that there was a fair few of their fans also waiting just outside the entrance to catch a glimpse of them.

We waited a couple of minutes before a black car pulled up just outside the arena.

I thought it would be my friends at first but out stepped a rather large man.

"That's Victor Stoichiev," my brother said, "he's the number one ranked Russian duellist."

I'd heard my brother talk about him before. Apparently Stoichiev used dirty tactics in his duels to beat his opponents. My brother had always told me he was a good duellist, he just had a rotten attitude apparently.

You could clearly see from his facial expression that he was less than impressed with the commotion outside the arena.

"Nice of you to come see me wipe the floor with your star duellist," Stoichiev said pushing his way past a few reporters, "you all may as well go home, he's not going to win."

As Stoichiev passed me I knew I didn't like him straight away, he was one of those guys that didn't sit right with me.

"You know Stoichiev, you should probably wait until after the duel to do your bragging," said the familiar voice of Zane.

Stoichiev turned to face my friend who had just gotten out of the car that he and Syrus had travelled in.

He walked back towards him, "oh really Truesdale," he said getting a little too close for a few peoples liking.

The press was all over this, getting their cameras nice and close in the face of the two duellists.

Zane smirked before putting out a hand, "may the best duellist win."

Stoichiev looked at the gesture for a minutes before swatting it away and stomping off inside.

"Jeez, what a nice guy," Syrus said coming up behind his brother.

A roar went out at the sight of the two brothers and they waved to their adoring fans, once Stoichiev had gone inside.

My mother and father clapped at the two duellists whilst, without their knowledge, my sister had recognised Zane and made a b-line past the barricade, straight for tonight's star attraction

My mother looked horrified as my sister ran up to Zane, who had clearly not registered her, as he was smiling out into the crowd, waving as the camera did a double duty, taking pictures of him being ambushed by my sister.

"Ahh," he said noticing the small human wrapped around his legs, "there's my favourite four-year-old duellist in the making," he said picking her up as she attached herself to his neck.

He looked around at where she had come from.

He spotted us in the crowd, spoke to one of his bodyguards, before motioning for the rest of us to come forward and join them.

We made our way to the front, the large security guard giving us access to the entrance walkway and went over to see Zane and Syrus.

"I'm sorry about that Zane, I didn't mean for her to run to you," mum said incredibly embarrassed.

"Oh, it's not a problem, it's nice to have someone running over to you at these for anything other than an autograph," he said, handing my resisting sister back over to my mother.

We said a quick hello whilst Zane did his customary interview.

As my family were listening to my brother talk to Syrus about his improvement with his deck, I tuned in to listen to questions that Zane was being asked.

"Finally, Zane," one reporter said, "who are the people that joined you on the walkway just a minute ago."

"Oh, well, it's actually a friend from Duel Academy and his family who have come to watch tonight," he said.

"A friend from Duel Academy, has he ever duelled professionally before," the reporter said clearly trying to see if there was a story out there to be had.

"No, but I can tell you that he is probably the best duellist I have ever faced," Zane said turning to face me.

Suddenly all the cameras turned to face me and people in the crowd started to whisper. They had clearly wanted that as a story.

I gave a quick little wave before turning back to the conversation Syrus and my brother were having.

"We're going to make front page news," DK said, smiling and posing for the camera, "quick Yubel, pose for the camera."

Yubel sighed in frustration.

I laughed, "DK, they can't see you pal."

I could see the deflation in the body language of DK.

I got some strange looks from people as they thought I was talking to myself.

Syrus turned to look at me, "who's DK," he said sounding rather confused.

"Let's go inside and I'll explain," I said to my friend, trying to avoid the strange stares.

Announcing that I had a second duel spirit in front of all these people wasn't top of my list of things to accomplish this evening.

Once Zane had wrapped up his interviews, we headed inside and made our way over to their VIP suite in the skyline of the arena.

"Wow," my brother said, running to the window to look down at the duelling field once we'd made it inside, "this is even better than I imagined."

We got ourselves settled and I quickly told Syrus and Zane about the cards, Dark Magician and the fact that he was a duel spirit like Yubel.

"Wait," Zane said looking rather flustered, "you're telling me you now also have a Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl card."

"And Dark Magician is a duel spirit," Syrus said looking even more confused.

"Yeah," I said nodding at my friends, "but don't tell anyone, I don't want to make it a big deal."

Both Syrus and Zane agreed to keep the card a secret until I felt like telling other people about it.

"You're definitely duelling me with it though," Zane said smiling at me.

I nodded in response. I hadn't told them about the fusion monster. It might be a good surprise to give them should I ever actually duel them with it.

Everybody stood and talked for a few more minutes, my brother was trying to find out everything he could about other professional duellists from Zane, Syrus was talking to my mum and dad about duelling and my sister was rather engaged with one spoon she had found on the dining table.

Not long after the food was served and man, there was such an array of food there that I thought I might actually pass out.

I started to gather my portion of food together as someone else entered the room.

"Sorry I'm late," said a familiar voice, "I got caught up at work and then got stuck in the traffic."

I turned with a huge smile as looked at my old friend.

He caught my eyes immediately, "Jaden Yuki, well I never, it must be Christmas," Bastion Misawa said coming over towards me.

Like many of the others, Bastion was another of my old friends that I'd not really spoken to much, I'd actually bumped into him a few times because he lived relatively close to me but really, I hadn't seen him much at all in the last few years.

"Bastion," I said meeting my friend halfway, "I didn't know you were coming."

"That's my fault Jay," Syrus said standing up from between my father and brother at the table, "I invited you guys without telling you so it would be a nice surprise."

Syrus was right, it was a nice surprise.

We all gathered the rest of our food and sat and ate together at the table. I introduced Bastion to the rest of my family who, like Syrus and Zane, was surprised to have even met them.

Zane and Syrus departed in order to go and get ready for their duels but the rest of us stayed and finished our food.

Bastion and my father spoke about work and their businesses for a while, turns out their businesses were scheduled to be working together on a project in the not so distant future.

Dad really does like to get involved with my friends careers whilst he works I thought to myself.

Once my family and Bastion had finished the food, we made our way outside to watch the duels take place.

There had been some early duels, but we'd missed most of those for the food, we were really just here to see Zane and Syrus.

Syrus was up first, both him and Zane were the headliners but Syrus was up first because the skill level of his opponent was as good as Zane's.

He didn't really take very long to claim victory.

He'd pretty much backed his opponent in a corner from his third turn and it was plain sailing from then on.

"I must admit, Syrus hasn't half improved since Duel Academy," I said turning to face Bastion.

"I know, the way in which he put his opponent in a corner right away was very impressive, it's no wonder he's ranked so highly on the tour circuit," Bastion said, studying the strategy that Syrus had used.

I could tell that Bastion was good at his job just by the way he studied the duel even if he wasn't at work.

Syrus had put away his opponent easily before exiting to loud cheers from the crowd.

"Finally," Bastion said as Syrus disappeared into the tunnel, "it's main event time."

I looked at my friend rather puzzled.

"I knew that Zane was duelling in it obviously, but I'm interested to see his opponent, Victor Stoichiev."

I shuddered, Stoichiev gave me the creeps.

"His strategy of duelling is fascinating," Bastion said, clearly, he admired the Russian, "It's just so 'brute force', it's like he doesn't think about anything just goes for it, it works for him though."

Just as Bastion finished, Stoichiev made his entrance to a chorus of boos and whistle's.

He definitely didn't look happy.

"I hope Zane gets his game on," Bastion said smiling at me.

I hadn't told him about me not duelling. In fact, I hadn't used my catchphrase in a long time.

Zane came out looking confident.

Clearly, he had a strategy and he knew what he was doing.

Once the duel had started, I could clearly see what Bastion was talking about earlier, Stoichiev was going at Zane straight away.

As the duel continued on, Stoichiev gained more ground and I could see the worry in Zane's face.

I must admit the Russian was good, really good.

Zane managed to recover; I mean you wouldn't be ranked as high as Zane was if you didn't have contingencies. He'd put Stoichiev in a corner and looked comfortable.

**Stoichiev: 500 LP **

**Zane: 1200 LP**

"Well Victor, this has been fun but I think I'm going to have to call it a night so I have three options for you, one surrender, two stop whilst you're ahead or three forget his duel happened and I'll see you at the world championships," Zane said confidently.

"Hmm, all tempting offers," said the Russian, "but I think I'll go with four, I win."

Everyone in the stadium looked confused but then started laughing.

This angered Stoichiev who clearly didn't like being laughed at, but he smirked as he drew his card.

That was never a good sign I thought to myself.

Bastion smiled and my family were entranced by the entire thing.

"Oh Zane," Bastion said shaking his head.

I didn't understand until I looked back at the duel.

Stoichiev held up a card in the air and Zane's face had turned to worry.

"Oh, so you know this card," Stoichiev said smiling at Zane, "I play, wheel of chalice."

Bastion stood up in shock.

"What," I said to my friend.

"Jaden," he said his face turning pale, "Zane's lost."

For a second I had to laugh, "you're joking, there's no way, he's so comfortable, Stoichiev doesn't have any monsters."

Bastion turned to look at me, "exactly that's why he's won, he lured Zane into a trap Jaden."

I turned to look back at the duel.

I couldn't believe it, Zane was about to lose.

But how?

"Impossible," Zane said, "that's….."

"At a loss for words Zane," Stoichiev said, "here let me help, once this card is activated, you take 500 points of damage for the number of chalice monster cards I have in my grave and I take damage equal to the amount of chalice monsters I have on my side of the field."

"No way," shouted my brother next to me.

"So," Stoichiev said, clearly gloating now, "since I don't have any monsters left on my field, I take 0 damage and you take, wait yes that's right, I have three in my grave, which means you take 1500 points of damage."

I was in complete shock.

No way I said to myself, Zane can't have lost.

With a flash of smoke, a wheel with several hands appeared in front of Zane and smacked him well off the duel arena field.

I looked up at the big board.

**Stoichiev: 500 LP**

**Zane: 0 LP**

Everyone in the arena started to applaud, clearly they admired a great duellist.

"That was some risk he took," said Bastion who had already turned to head back into our VIP room.

I watched as Stoichiev marched off the stage, not even acknowledging the crowd and went straight over to Zane bending down over him.

Everyone in the crowd looked shocked as Stoichiev stood over a prone Zane and bent down to him.

"Not so tough now are you Truesdale," said Stoichiev, kicking Zane hard in the ribs as he walked off.

The crowd lost it with Stoichiev at that point, booing and throwing things at him as he marched off laughing.

That just about did it for me in terms of my opinion of Stoichiev, as far as I was concerned, I hated him.

Zane stood slowly, brushing the dirt off his clothes.

The crowd gave a huge roar and Zane responded smiling and waving as he left, gingerly.

"You know, I wasn't expecting that kind of reaction after him losing," DK said, he was sat a couple of seats to my left, well sort of.

"Yeah, I was expecting him to be rather cross," Yubel said, actually agreeing with DK.

"I don't know what is more surprising the fact that Zane lost or you two agreed on something," I said getting up slowly out of my seat, laughing and joining the others inside.

After about 30 minutes Zane and Syrus joined us in the VIP suite. I could tell that Syrus was livid just by the look on his face whilst Zane seemed far calmer than his younger brother.

Honestly, I was just completely confused.

"Are you okay," I said to Zane who made his way over to the seated area.

Zane looked up at me and smiled, "oh Jaden please, Stoichiev is a good duellist, I wasn't expecting the kick at the end I must say but I can get my revenge at the World Championships."

I was baffled, "wait so you're not mad," I said, trying to hide my surprised.

Zane laughed, "no, I've lost to far worse the Stoichiev anyway, plus, tonight wasn't about winning, I already know my seeding, I just wanted to check out some of the competition."

Behind Zane, I could see Syrus getting more and more frustrated, "Zane come on, he can't just kick you whilst you're down, I don't care who he is, I'll show him how a true man duels."

Zane smiled at his brother before ruffling his hair.

Everyone laughed as Syrus tried to get Zane to stop but his older brother was having none of it.

"Well," my mother said, "I must say you were both brilliant, even despite the result, but we must make a move as it is getting late and SOME of us have to be up early tomorrow," she said looking directly at me.

I laughed slightly at her slightly before we all said our goodbyes, departed and me and the family headed home for bed.

* * *

_**Neutral POV **_

Victor Stoichiev got out his car, heading in towards his hotel.

"Honestly, I don't even care who I duel next, I'm winning everything," he said down the phone.

He made his way to his room and shut the door, "yeah, exactly no-one can beat me," he said laughing down the phone to whoever was on the other end.

Suddenly, a noise came from within the bathroom of his hotel room.

Stoichiev shot around to see who it was, "oi, Truesdale, is that you," he said putting the phone on the bed.

He made his way over to the bathroom, "I'll give you five seconds to come out, five, four, three, tw…"

Suddenly, the room went black, "right what's goin…"and all the was left was Stoichiev's screams as a ghostly figure stood over him.

* * *

**There you go ladies and gents, there's your duel chapter.**

**What did you make of it all, Bastion's back, DK seems like a character and what did you make of Stoichiev?**

**What do you think happened to him?**

**I hope you enjoyed, don't forget to favourite and follow for the latest updates and be sure to leave a review when you can.**

**Anyway, that's all from me.**

**Writey x**


	7. Fixing A Roof

**Hi everyone, here is the next chapter.**

**I hope you're all doing well, hopefully also enjoying the story still. I know I'm enjoying writing it which is good.**

**Your comments are great, and I really appreciate the feedback! **

**Thank you to everyone who has been here from the beginning, you're awesome.**

**Right, it's time to mend a roof.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride.**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

I still couldn't wrap my head around what had happened at the duel the other day, Zane had actually lost.

Like, I knew he'd lost a few times on the professional circuit already but to actually see him lose was a complete shock and something that I was not expecting to see.

I'd spoken to him yesterday about it on the phone (I'd given him and Syrus my phone number whilst we were at the duel, I didn't like that my dad knew more about my friends than I did) and when I spoke to him I realised that he really wasn't that bothered about the loss.

I found it so peculiar.

I'd even managed to have a joke with him that he'd better get used to losing once my brother mastered his deck.

I'd woken up early this morning because I had a busy day ahead of me.

You see, I'd promised Solomon at the card shop that I'd fixed his roof and I still hadn't gotten around to doing that yet, so I'd thought I'd swing by and help him out today.

I'd gathered all the tools I would need the night before.

Dad had taken me to purchase a couple of things from the hardware store that might have come in handy like a hammer, some nails and a drill.

I'd helped my dad build pat of the duel arena out in the garden during my time off at Duel Academy, but dad had basically refused to let me take his tools because I was 'very forgetful' apparently.

I wasn't actually going to see Solomon till late morning as I offered to take my bother to school, so my mum could set up for the charity bake sale she was having in the front garden.

My mum did it every year alongside Mr Maloney.

It was to raise money for people who had the same illness his wife had when she was sick.

I always helped where I could, usually me and Cameron would bake a load of cookie and cakes down at the bakery after work but because this year I wasn't working I decided to help set everything up instead.

"Hey Jaden, can I try one of these," DK said, grabbing for one of the cakes that were already out on show.

Clearly my magical friend still hadn't worked out he was a floating spirit as his hand went straight through the chocolate velvet cupcake.

Yubel and I laughed as he tried everything to grab the cake until he just ended up magically summoning one for himself.

I finished putting up the last of the table and went to check if there was anything else that needed doing.

"No, I think that's just about it Jaden," Mr Maloney said, carrying out the final batch of cookies.

My mum followed with Tessa in her arms, who munching down on one of the cookies.

"Not fair," DK said floating off in a strop past my sister.

I think he thought about going to knock it out of her hands but knew he'd have no success.

"Jaden, you better get going to the card shop, you'll be there all day otherwise," my mum said patting me on the head.

"Yeah, you're probably right, I've got to pack for the weekend when I get home as well," I said remembering I still hadn't done it.

I made my way inside, telling Yubel to go and find DK whilst I got my stuff together.

Mum had laid out some old clothes of my dad that would fit me, she didn't want me getting any of my stuff ruined. She'd also made me a packed lunch to take with me, almost as if I was at school again.

I threw on the clothes and picked up my tools before heading outside to start my walk to the shop.

Mr Maloney stood on the driveway, twirling the keys to his Toyota Corolla, "come on kiddo, I'll take you to the card shop, it's the least I can do with all the help you've given me this morning."

I nodded at Mr Maloney.

In all honesty I didn't want to carry everything with me to the card shop anyway, it would have been one hell of a walk.

I put everything in the trunk of his car and got into the passenger seat.

Mum came over to the window and I rolled it down, yes Mr Maloney's car had roll down windows still.

"Your dad will pick you up at six today," mum said.

Thankfully that meant I wouldn't have to carry everything back with me either.

I said goodbye to my mum and sister before Mr Maloney pulled away and headed towards the card shop.

The journey wasn't too long, we talked about the bakle sale and my weekend away at Duel Academy coming up.

Mr Maloney basically pulled up outside the shop, so I got out, thanked him, grabbed all my gear from the boot and waved goodbye.

I turned, carrying the rather large set of equipment, and made my way up the narrow pathway that led to the shop.

I put down all my stuff down just to the side of the front door and stepped in.

Nothing had changed since I was last there, even the strange aura was still there.

"Ahh, home sweet home," DK said appearing next to me. He floated around the room for a while, looking in some of the glass cabinets and saying hello and pointing at different cards.

"I think he might have lost the plot," Yubel said behind me, "I can still sense the aura from the other day Jaden, except it isn't as powerful as it was last time."

I looked at Yubel.

She was right the aura had somewhat weakened since the last time we were here.

"Hmm strange," I said, moving closer to the glass cabinet where my brother and I had first spoken to Solomon.

It didn't seem as though anyone was about.

I rang the bell and I heard shuffling in the back, "one second just coming… WHOOPS."

There was a loud bang coming from the room behind the desk and I ran back there to see where the noise had come from.

I turned the corner and saw a face I hadn't seen in a while, staring up at me covered in books and old papers, "Mr Wise?"

The old man turned around to see who I was, "you know you shouldn… oh Jaden, what are you doing here," Mr Wise said smiling at me.

I'd completely forgotten that the man I'd once bought my first deck from had moved across to join Solomon in his shop.

"Mr Wise, it's so great to see you, are you okay," I said bending down to help him up.

"I'll be quite fine, thank you Jaden, I just need to get these books packed away before Solomon gets back," he said standing up and brushing all the dust off himself, "and what have I told you before, you will call me Montgomery."

Montgomery, as her preferred to be known, hated people using his second name, he always preferred Monty or Montgomery.

"I apologise Monty," I said picking up the books he was struggling to carry.

I brought them out to the front of the shop and set them on the side.

"So, Jaden, how can I help," the old man said following me out.

"Well actually Monty, I'm here to help Solomon, I agreed to fix his roof a week or so ago and I thought I'd come today whilst I had a bit of spare time."

"Oh well that's very kind of you, Solomon's not here at the moment though he went out to pick some things up, I can help you whilst you get started though, until he comes back," he said taking me outside.

He pointed at some of the areas of the roof that he thought might needed fixing, he pretty much told me everything Solomon had told him was bad with the roof and headed back inside.

Monty turned around as he was about to go in the door, "oh and also, I'll keep DK entertained for a while, I know how excited he can get sometimes."

Montgomery laughed as he headed back inside, and I was pretty sure he was laughing at my face.

"Jaden, you'll swallow some flies if you don't close your mouth," Yubel said smirking at me as I tried to recover from the fact that Monty could see the spirits as well.

I quickly set about making my way round the building, grabbing all the thing I needed to help fix the roof before clambering my way up a rusty old ladder.

The shop was two floored, so there was two roofs to fix.

I set about working on the first floors roof, there was quite a lot of damage and I wasn't sure how long this first bit was going to take.

The roof realistically needed completely replacing so I got to work trying to mend what was already there, taking it away piece by piece.

After the first hour or so, I'd gotten considerably more done than I had expected, in fact, the lower roof was almost completely finished.

I was bending down, drilling in some nails when someone behind me spoke, giving me a right scare, "what you doing," said the female voice.

I jumped back, almost drilling a whole in the roof.

"You scared the life out of me," I said turning around.

Behind me was a short, ginger – haired girl who had to be roughly the same age as me wearing an outfit similar to the one Monty was wearing earlier.

In fact, the girl looked like a younger, female version of Monty.

She smiled at me, "you didn't answer my question," she said with a cheeky look, "what are you doing."

I smiled back at her, "umm looking for seagulls," I said in response, matching her sarcasm.

"Ugh," she gave me a look that said shut up before turning to leave.

"Wait, wait," I said laughing, "I'm up here fixing the roof for Solomon, he gave me and my brother some cards free of charge last week and I wanted to repay him by fixing the roof," I said.

She turned back around and gave me a questioning look before smiling, "oh I know who you are Jaden, I was just messing," she said poking her tongue out.

She laughed and started to make her way down the ladder.

"Wait," I said slightly confused, "how do you know that."

"Well, I mean, you're the one he gave away the special cards too, I know because I was in the back when he did, just wanted to mess around and see if you could take a joke," she said heading down the stairs, "names Amalie in case you were wondering."

I peered over the edge and smiled as Amalie brushed herself off and made her way back inside the shop.

I'd decided that Amalie's introduction had given me a chance to take a well-earned break.

I took the sandwich mum had made me this morning out of my bag and had a look at my phone.

I had a couple of notifications and a text from Syrus.

Huh, wonder what that could be I thought opening the text from Syrus.

_**Hey J,**_

_**Hope you're doing okay.**_

_**I'm not sure how you're getting to DA tomorrow, but you can come with me, Zane and Bastion.**_

_**We'll get a little private plane to take us to the port then we'll meet some of the others there and go on the boat with them.**_

_**I've already told your mum about it, me and Zane went and saw her at the bake sail.**_

_**We turned up just while Josh and his friends had come back, you should have seen the look on his friends faces, it was priceless.**_

_**Anyway, let me know if you want to and I'll save you a seat,**_

_**Syrus**_

There was also a second smaller message just underneath.

_**Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, everyone is allowed to bring a plus one, me and Zane aren't bringing anyone, but you can, there's enough space on the plane for them as well. We already ticked your reply card, so try and think of someone who you would want to come ;)**_

I looked at the text, damn you Syrus, I haven't got anyone to take I said to myself putting the phone back in my pocket.

My family weren't around this weekend, they were off visiting family somewhere and I didn't really have anyone else to take.

I quickly replied saying I would go with them and that I wasn't happy about the whole plus one thing considering I only had a day to find someone.

Just as I'd finished replying, my second scare of the day happened as DK shot through the roof followed closely by Yubel.

"Sorry Jaden, I got distracted looking at pinecones," he said looking around for me, "wait, where are you?"

He spotted me and flew over, "there you are, right, I'm ready to fix a roof, let me just get my hat on."

With a flick of his wrist, a yellow builders hat appeared instead of his magic hat as he'd already clearly changed into a builder's uniform.

"Honestly, he is such a goon," Yubel said shaking her head behind him.

"Oh, he's harmless," I said laughing, "plus, if he thinks he can help, he might stay distracted for a while instead of disrupting me."

I gave DK some instructions, even though he wouldn't be able to do them, and he went off to try to complete his task.

"That should keep him busy," I said, smiling as he attempted to pick up the hammer I had left by the workspace.

As I watched DK try everything to pick up the hammer, a car door went behind me and a familiar voice spoke.

"Jaden," Solomon said approaching the ladder, "I wasn't expecting you."

I quickly climbed down the ladder, so the old man didn't have to join me up on the roof and greeted him.

"Hi Solomon, I just thought I'd surprise you by coming to fix your roof today," I said shaking the man's hand.

"Well, I must say that is very kind, you know you didn't have to," he said greeting me back, "ahh, and I see you've met the famous DK then."

DK heard Solomon say his name and appeared almost instantly by my side.

"Wait," I said, "you've been able to do that the whole time."

Solomon smiled and DK looked at me, "I certainly have, I just prefer floating, I can feel the wind against flow against my robes."

I was going to question my magical friend because he couldn't feel the wind as a spirit but thought better of it.

"DK, how are you, have you been behaving yourself," Solomon said, looking at DK as if he was a child.

DK went a little shy and replied, "it's been great thanks, we've done loads, in fact I must get back to fixing the roof."

"Oh no, you come inside with me and we can catch up out back," he said knowingly nodding at me.

"Oh okay," he said excitedly, changing back into his normal clothes and shooting off back inside.

"I'll go with him to make sure he behaves," Yubel said following on behind the magician.

"I know he can get a little much, you see in magician terms he's still quite young, so I'll keep an eye on him whilst you work," Solomon said, fully well knowing what DK was like.

"I'll head inside and get to work, if there is anything you need just let me know and I can get it for you," Solomon said.

I smiled and thanked the man as he headed inside.

I worked for the next few hours until I finished mending the roof.

The second roof wasn't that bad, and it seemed to need just a little bit of care here and there.

Whilst, I'd been working, I'd noticed the aura around the shop had been dipping in and out every so often.

It was strange, it was as if it was trying to get out of something, it was waiting for something to happen to be released but it felt as though something was missing, a piece of it was missing.

I couldn't work it out, so I just tried to ignore it.

Once I'd managed to finish everything off, I started tidying away before Amalie came back outside.

"Oh, have you finished," she said as I was packing away the ladder.

"Hmm, let's see, I've brought everything down and put the ladder away, no Amalie, I don't think I've finished," I said, still trying to get back for her sarcasm earlier.

She poked out her tongue and turned to storm away, "I came out here to tell you'd I'd made us snacks as we are all on break but I'm now uninviting you," she said running inside.

I put down all my stuff and ran inside after her.

Once I'd caught up with her, she started laughing, trying to block me from getting past.

We made it into the back room, laughing and out of breath, where Solomon and Monty gave us a very strange look.

"Hi…. Grandad…." Amalie said between laughing, "I, ugh, I just told Jaden about the food and he attacked me," she said going to tickle me.

I saw it coming and tackled her to the floor, both of us laughing, lying next to each other.

It was funny, I hadn't laughed like this since Duel Academy, not properly like this.

Amalie was fun, I liked fun.

I stood up and looked at Solomon and Monty, who were both smiling at us, "what," I said, very confused.

"Nothing," Monty said smiling at Amalie, "I see you've made a friend of my granddaughter."

Then everything clicked, of course this girl was his granddaughter, I'd seen her in his shop a few times with what must have been her mum and dad.

Amalie Wise.

She'd been in my year at school, but we'd never really spoken.

That's how she knew who I was.

I looked at her and smiled, "you knew me all along, didn't you."

"Duh Yuki, I was just waiting for you to work out who I was doofus," she said smiling back at me.

"Well," Solomon said, "I'm glad we're all acquainted, why don't you both sit and join us."

We sat chatted for a little while about everything before I started talking about Duel Academy.

"Yeah, I'm actually heading back to Duel Academy tomorrow for a reunion, I just need to find someone to come with me," I said still racking my brain as to who I could bring, "my friend Syrus put that I would have a plus one but I haven't worked out who could go with me," I said in a huff.

"I'll go," Amalie said smiling at me, "it'll be fun, we can go as friends and I can see Duel Academy before I start in the fall and you don't have to be a loner Yuki."

"Wait, you're going to DA?"

I was very confused at this because she was way too old to go to DA.

"Yeah, Chancellor Sheppard and my grandad go way back, I never went after school, but Sheppard said that I could start as a mature student and just do the one year to graduate,"

she said.

I looked slightly shocked at her, "and you're sure you want to come with me over the weekend, not just go another time to check it out."

"Yeah, it'll be fun," she said picking up another biscuit and putting it in her mouth.

"Well, that's settled," Monty said clapping his hands, grabbing another sandwich from the plate.

We sat and talked for a little while; I gave Amalie all the information about the weekend and we exchanged numbers so I could contact her tomorrow before Solomon and Monty left to tidy up the shop.

I looked down at the table where all the food was and saw a letter with the words FOR SALE at the top of the paper.

At this point, I wish I hadn't have looked.

I knew I shouldn't have but I picked it up.

"The shop is for sale," Amalie said before I even had a chance of reading the letter, she didn't even look up from the magazine she was reading, "Solomon has been at the bank all day confirming the whole thing, that's why he wasn't here when you arrived."

I couldn't believe it; Solomon was selling the shop.

This place had sort of become my new favourite place during the two days I had visited it and it was going to be sold.

I went out to the front to find him and talk about it, I had to try and persuade him not to sell.

He can't sell the shop I thought to myself, wondering around trying to find the old man.

When I found him, he was just taking down some of the signs in the front window of the shop.

"Solomon," I said hurrying over to the old man, "why are you putting the shop up for sale?"

The old man turned around looking rather sad.

"Money Jaden, I can't afford to keep the shop running, just like Monty couldn't keep his shop afloat," the old man said moving past me to put the signs on the counter.

I'm not going to lie, I was rather distraught, I'd really started to like being here, if it was only for those two days.

"Surely, there's something we can do," I said, making it out as if I'd been here forever.

"I don't think so Jaden, I just don't have the money, the place won't be mine in a week or two," he said going back to his task.

I could see the pain etched on his face and I didn't like the way I felt when I saw it.

Surely there is something I can do I thought to myself.

"Solomon, I'll volunteer here whilst the shop is still yours, that way I can at least help you sort the place completely," I said.

Maybe, if I worked here, I could come up with some solution to help Solomon save his shop.

Solomon nodded, "okay Jaden, if you're sure, it is nice to have the company around."

I smiled at him and helped him to start to put everything away, this process was going to need every pair of hands possible for it to succeed and I was willing to help him.

My dad arrived not long after I'd started to help and I knew it was time to go.

Dad helped me put all my stuff I had brought with me into the back of his car.

"I can see you did a job," he said smiling and looking up at the old building.

"Yeah," I said flatly back.

I was still down about the fact that the card shop was being sold, I just didn't feel right and I was determined to find a way to save it before it was sold.

But right now I had to get home.

I had to get home because I need to get ready for the tomorrow.

It was time to go back to Duel Academy.

* * *

**So, there you go, Jaden is going to help work at the card shop whilst he finds a way to save it.**

**I've also introduced you to Amalie, what did you think? She's going to the reunion with Jaden, ahh!**

**Let me know what you think might happen at the reunion and in the next few chapters.**

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**Be sure to look after yourselves and you'll here from me soon.**

**Writey x**


	8. Inbound

**Hi everyone, here is the next chapter!**

**I hope everyone is doing okay! There might be delayed posts after this one, but I'll try my best to get another upload out soon.**

**Follow and Favourite for all the latest updates and make sure to drop a review from time to time as well to let me know you're all enjoying it.**

**It's time to make our way to Duel Academy.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride.**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Excited.

That was the word I would have used to describe my mood as Friday morning rolled around.

I'd got up bright and early, earlier than I perhaps had too but, I was excited, it was the day I was going back to Duel Academy.

I'd managed to wake my dad up even before he needed to get up for work which was usually around 6:45, but I suppose that was payback for all the times he'd done the same thing to me whilst I was growing up.

Last night, once I'd gotten back from the card shop, I'd planned everything I would need for the days I was away. I'd packed mostly everything last night before I went to bed.

I'd also spoken to Amalie about everything she would need, it wasn't just a quick packing process for her.

She'd gone over every minor detail, every little thing she might need which meant our conversation had ended up taking just over two hours before she'd finally decided that she was ready to go.

I'd eventually got to bed about midnight, but I couldn't really sleep.

I kept replaying these two thoughts in my head over and over again.

One: everything would go brilliantly, and everyone would have an amazing time.

Two: no one would talk to me because of the way I left the last time they all saw me, and everything would be a total disaster.

They were the two scenarios that kept playing in my head again this morning as I sat eating my breakfast cereals.

I'd woken up extremely excited this morning and, don't get me wrong, I still was but there was something nagging in the back of my head and it wouldn't go away.

Yes, I'd made up with Syrus, Zane and Bastion.

But that wasn't everyone and there was one person in particular that I really needed to talk too but wasn't sure how it would go.

I was just worried that I wouldn't get the reception that I was hoping for. I didn't want to be disappointed.

I'd been so preoccupied in my thoughts that I hadn't realised my mum had sat down next to me.

Mum had been nagging me last night to make a list of everything I needed for the trip.

See, if I hadn't mentioned it already, my mum liked to be organised.

Whereas, me on the other hand, I wasn't at all organised.

However last night I had actually surprised my mum when I'd told her that I was already packed.

When she had rattled off the list she had made for me to check against, I think she was proud that I did actually have everything there already to go the night before.

"Jaden….. Jaden…" my mum said as I zoned out of my own thoughts.

I came out of my daze and looked at her, "yes, mum sorry, I was daydreaming."

"Did you hear what I said."

I hadn't heard what she had said, and she took my five second silence as justification for that fact.

"I said, are you sure you have everything, I don't want to have to cancel our plans this weekend in order to have to send something over to you."

I smiled, she would never change but she was my mum and I didn't want her too.

I finished up my breakfast and went upstairs to get ready.

The good thing was I was in absolutely no rush.

Everybody else except for mum had gone out as well so there wasn't the usual wait for the bathroom.

I made sure that I did everything thoroughly before heading to get dressed.

I had considered wearing my old uniform but I decided it probably wouldn't fit me and would be a bit cheesy, so I put on some casual clothes for the arrival, leaving all the smart stuff for the actual reunion itself.

It wasn't going to be long before Amalie arrived. She was going to drive us to the airport and her family had lent her the car for the weekend.

She'd told them that they could get it from the airport after we had gone and she would tell them where she was going to park it, but they insisted that she would need it when she got back from the trip on Sunday.

My mum helped me move all my stuff outside, well when I say everything, I was only really taking one bag with me so there wasn't a lot, but she insisted that she'd help.

Amalie arrived not long after and put my bag in the back of the car.

DK, who had apparently packed everything he owned into a bag as well, and Yubel went and sat in the back seat of the car whilst they waited for the two of us.

Mum came out and said hello to Amalie before my friend got into the driver's seat to give us some privacy.

"You know Jaden," my mum said with a serious expression on her face, "everything will be okay this weekend, I know you're worried about it, but you'll be fine."

That's the other thing, mum can always sense when I'm uneasy or worried, it was just this little connection we had with each other.

"Thank Muma," I said giving her a hug and getting into the car.

I climbed in next to Amalie and she smiled at me, "you know your mum is a gem."

I smiled at her, "you are correct," I said to my friend as we pulled away from the driveway.

I waved goodbye, told her to enjoy the weekend away with the family and we headed for New Domino Airport.

The journey wasn't taking us as long as I had anticipated. Amalie knew most of the back roads, so we managed to miss most of the traffic that was being reported on the radio.

"So…." Amalie said, clearly trying to make light conversation.

Other than our phone call and day at the card shop yesterday I realised that we didn't really know a lot about each other. I smiled as she twiddled her thumbs, she really hadn't thought of anything to say to me.

I laughed, "right, I've got a game," I said.

She glanced at me looking sceptical, "and what is that?"

"We have 21 questions to ask each other, that way we can kill some time and get to know each other."

She smiled at me and nodded.

For the next forty minutes or so minutes I found out that Amalie had two cats, had a brother called Quinton and her favourite movie was Mama Mia.

"It's a great movie okay, you can't tell me you don't love the songs, everybody has heard them," she said desperately.

Amalie had been trying to convince me to watch the movie for the remainder of the journey because I told her that I'd never seen Mama Mia.

We arrived at the parking for our terminal not long after I had promised Amalie I would watch the movie with her on the plane.

We found a parking spot and hauled our luggage out of the car.

Amalie had also decided that because I only had one bag, I could carry one of the two she had because it was the 'gentlemanly thing to do.'

Once we had found the correct entrance, we made our way over to the check – in area where Zane, Syrus, Bastion and a dark-haired girl I didn't recognise stood waiting for us.

"Wow," Syrus said smiling at me, "you're actually on time for a change, I was expecting to miss our flight."

"HA, HA, Syrus very funny," I said dropping Amalie's bag next to the counter.

"You must be a changed man Jaden," Bastion said smiling.

He had his arm around the dark-haired girl I didn't recognise and looked at her once I realised this, "Oh right, Jaden, I'd like to introduce you to Juniper, my girlfriend."

I must have been stood for a while because Zane and Syrus started laughing.

It wasn't that I was trying to be rude, I just wasn't expecting anyone to bring their partners.

I suddenly realised that Amalie must look like my girlfriend and I needed to explain who she was but before I could, she swept in and introduced herself.

"Hi," she said giving Juniper a hug, "I'm Amalie, unfortunately for him, I am not Jaden's girlfriend, but we do now work together, and we also went to school together, but he doesn't remember that."

"Well, it's good to know I won't be the only girl on our journey to Duel Academy," Juniper said laughing with Amalie as they headed off towards a queue

I must have gone bright red because all three of the boys started laughing at me when the two girls headed off to join the check – in queue.

"Honestly Jaden, I don't know what's better, the fact that you aren't late or the person you have brought with you might be even funnier than you," Zane said through his laughs.

Zane helped me grab Amalie's bags and we made our way over to join the girls at the check in line.

After we had checked in and Amalie had finished introducing herself, we made our way to get some food before we got on the plane. Zane had ensured us that we would have plenty of time before we needed to board.

Amalie explained to the guys about her decision to come on the trip and the fact that she was going to DA.

Juniper told us all about how her and Bastion had met, "yeah, so, basically, I met Mr Misawa here at our work," she said making a boop noise as she poked his nose.

It was nice to see the guys so happy; I was just hoping that everyone else would be happy to see me when I arrived.

We continued eating and having a few drinks until then Zane went to check our boarding time.

Now, it probably would have been smart for us to have checked our boarding time earlier but for whatever reason we didn't, and it almost made us late.

You see, Zane had coming rushing back, downed his drink and told us that we only had five minutes until our gate closed for boarding. I thought this was strange since it was a private plane but apparently, they weren't going to wait for us either way.

We only just about made it because Amalie fell over twice and then I had to stop because I was laughing at her so much.

However, once we had boarded the plane, we all got comfortable in the luxury seats we had been provided.

The flight wasn't very long, it was only going to take about an hour, so I put on the news and tried to fall asleep.

Suddenly a bit of news caught my attention and I called Zane, Syrus and Bastion over whilst the girls slept.

"What is it Jay," Syrus said, half asleep still from his nap.

I turned up the TV a bit louder so we could all hear exactly what was being said by the news broadcasters.

"_We go live to our reporter Thomas Smith who is at the scene now, Thomas."_

"_Thank you, Beth, yes, I'm here at the Le'Duprah Hotel where the Russian number one ranked duellist Victor Stoichiev was staying when he apparently disappeared after his duel against Zane Truesdale on Tuesday night. One guest in the hotel room said that they heard screaming and then everything went quiet, but Mr Stoichiev has not yet been seen or heard from since the report."_

They showed an image of the hotel before continuing on.

"_It is not known where Stoichiev could be, but detectives believe that he was abducted. Questions are ongoing and some believe Zane Truesdale could have something to do with the incident after an altercation before there duel but nothing concrete has yet come through, I've been Tom Smith, back to the studio."_

Everyone was shocked.

I looked at Zane, "Zane please tell me…."

I didn't want to even think he could do something bad, but I did see the confrontation with Stoichiev.

Zane looked pale, "no Jaden, I didn't have anything to do with this, as much as he might have got what he deserved I would never wish harm on my competitors."

I sighed with relief.

I knew Zane wouldn't do such a thing but now he was a suspect.

More to the point, who would do such a cruel thing.

Bastion, Zane and Syrus went back to their seats whilst I tried to work out if I remembered anything suspicious.

For the remainder of the plane journey, we explained to Amalie and Juniper what we had saw and then sat in silence until we reached our destination.

Once we landed, Amalie tried to lift spirits on our way to the ferry port.

She told everyone about our 21-question game and some of the funny things we told each other, which seemed to lift the mood.

I could tell Zane was still bothered by Stoichiev's disappearance, but he seemed to lighten up a little once Amalie made a joke about my sense of style.

Once we had gathered our belongings, we headed for the boat terminal which was actually connected to the airport itself.

On the walk over, the others walked side by side and I just kept to myself.

I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I was going to see everyone again, it felt kind of strange, just being invited without speaking to everyone, I felt like I was being let off for being a jerk.

Amalie casually slipped away from her conversation with Zane and fell in time with my walk.

"Yuki," she said in her usual assertive tone, "stop being so boring."

I smiled at her, "yeah, one second," I said hoping she would walk on.

Except she didn't, she just walked and stayed next to me.

"You know Jaden, Syrus filled me in earlier about everything that happened at the end of the Academy with you guys," she said almost checking to see if it was okay for her to continue.

I gave her a go-ahead kind of look and she smiled.

"People grow up Jaden. What you did, leaving without saying goodbye, it was wrong. I don't know why you just left, you don't have to tell me but these people, they obviously care about you, I can see it. You just have to let yourself see it as well."

I looked up at Amalie and she smiled at me.

For all the joking and messing around we had together, she really did know me and it was nice.

We haven't even known each other that long and I already feel like I could tell her anything, like she was one of my best friends.

We walked and talked for a little while, she explained that Syrus had shared some details about our time at DA which I didn't mind because it was as much his experience as it was mine.

I just filled her in on all the bits that Syrus had missed and to my surprise, she acted as if it was nothing.

"I tell you what, if my year at DA is anything like that then I'll struggle not going back for another year," she said in awe, "it sounded so action packed, except for the whole 'end of the world' bit."

It was good that it didn't scare her, in a way it made me feel like I might be able to tell my family what happened at DA at some point, that Josh would still be allowed to go even if I told my story to them.

I pondered on that thought for a little while as we walked a bit further and found our boat.

Unlike the plane we were actually early, so we boarded first and found the best seats we could.

I sat next to Amalie who had decided she would take the window seat without even letting me argue my case.

Once the boat set off, I felt myself start to drift off to sleep.

I mean with how early I had gotten up this morning, I knew that early morning rise would catch up with me eventually.

After what only felt like 20 minutes, I felt someone shaking me, trying to wake me up.

"Yuki… hey Jaden, wake up," said Amalie from beside me.

I stirred slowly, having a little stretch as I sat up, "what Amalie."

She didn't say anything. She was looking out the window at something.

My eyes followed her gaze and once I realised what it was, I suddenly felt incredibly nervous all over again.

The speaker on the ship made me jump as its jingle sounded and the ship's captain started speaking.

"Dear passengers, will shortly arrive at Duel Academy, please don't leave anything aboard the ship, take all luggage with you and I hope you have a lovely reunion tomorrow."

* * *

**So, there it is, part 8.**

**You got to see a little bit more of Amalie and Jaden's relationship, what did you think?**

**Also, you heard about Stoichiev, what up with that huh?**

**Anyway, follow and favourite for updates.**

**Leave a review if you fancy, but until next time look after yourselves with everything going on!**

**Writey x**


	9. The Reunion: Part 1

**It's the moment you've all been waiting for!**

**REUNION TIME!**

**I hope you all enjoy this; I've put a lot of thought into the story and this is one of the benchmarks within.**

**There will be three parts to the reunion, firstly this will be the Friday night after Jaden and the guys arrive!**

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**Leave a review if you can, I genuinely get ideas sometime from the reviews you guys share so they're always good.**

**I hope I haven't gone on too much, anyway.**

**As we all know, buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

I'd wouldn't call myself particularly shy, actually I wouldn't really say I'm shy at all.

Usually I'm quite a confident person.

But as the boat started to pull into the docks of Duel Academy, I felt as though I wanted to hide in a cupboard and not come out.

All the excitement I'd had built earlier during the day had completely vanished once Amalie had woken me up.

Actually, when I realised that we were within touching distance of the island, everything became a bit of a blur.

I'd managed to compose myself enough not to have a breakdown in front of everyone, something that at the time seemed like a good step but really, I was just overthinking everything like normal.

In a way, I was a shadow of my former confident self, even though I hadn't changed at all.

I guess that's what happens when you leave all your best friends behind on an island without saying goodbye, I thought to myself as the island neared.

Zane, Syrus, Bastion, Juniper, Amalie and I were in the last boatload of people that were scheduled to arrive on the island for the reunion.

When I say, 'boatload of people', I genuinely mean boatload of people.

It wasn't a small event taking place like I had originally thought, oh no, there would probably be hundreds of old DA alumni at the event over the weekend, a detail that Zane and Syrus had handily missed out when they had first explained about it to me.

Amalie on the other hand, she was having a great time.

She kept going up to people and introducing herself to them. Most people just looked confused at first but then when she explained about being my plus one, the conversation really started to flow for her.

I think the reason so many people were talking to her was partly from her personality but also, from the fact that she was my plus one and according to Zane everybody found that very interesting.

After several minutes of introducing herself to random people, Amalie came back to sit beside me, "wow, how exciting, I can't wait to actually get onto the island."

I understood why she was so excited, her starting Duel Academy soon and everything, I just wish I had her level of excitement as well.

We docked not long after Amalie had taken a couple of pictures of the island as it became more visible.

She had decided to document everything whilst we were here to show her family once she returned home.

She'd brought a photo film camera and a book that she could put all her pictures in, almost like a memento.

We all grabbed our luggage, once the boat had come to a standstill and followed the crowds to the exit.

I recognised a few familiar faces from some of my classes as we passed in the walkway. Most had been looking at me and Amalie walking side by side, something that my friend had clearly been oblivious too.

We came to a stop on the dock area, the bright sunshine beating down over us.

We had been informed that upon arrival people would be sorted into groups to be taken around the island by a tour guide. It made me laugh because people seemed to be confused as to why we needed a tour of the island, considering we all used to live here at one point.

One by one, people's names were rattled off until it was just the six of us left. There weren't any other tour guides left either, so I assumed we had just been forgotten about.

"You know," said a familiar voice approaching us from behind, "I don't usually do personal tours but how was I going to miss the arrival of some of my very best former students," said the voice of Chancellor Sheppard.

Suddenly, all my nerves disappeared.

It was nice seeing my former headmaster again, he hasn't really changed much, in fact, he stilled had the exact same attire he wore when I was a student. I didn't ever think much about it, but I wasn't sure whether I'd actually ever seen him wear anything different.

Seeing him first seemed to make it a bit easier, it almost calmed me down in a sense, I felt safer.

He came to greet us individually.

He made a joke about whether Syrus might actually end up taller than Zane whilst talking to the Truesdale's.

Bastion introduced him to Juniper, who got slightly embarrassed as he kissed her on the hand whilst saying how lovely it was to meet her.

He made his way to stand in front of Amalie who was still staring out across the island and hadn't noticed that Sheppard was behind her, "Amalie Wise, you're here a bit early to start your first and only year of Duel Academy."

Amalie took one last picture before turning around with a huge smile on her face.

"Uncle Sheps," she said giving the Chancellor a hug, "I wasn't sure whether you would still work here, given the fact that you're about 100 now."

I'm pretty sure most of us wouldn't have gotten away with a comment like that, but Sheppard just started laughing at Amalie

"Still got that sense of humour I see," he said through his laughs, "why are you here?"

She smiled and pointed at me before turning back around to take more pictures.

Sheppard's gaze met my own and a huge smile broaden out across his face.

"Well, well, well, I wasn't sure if you would be joining us this weekend, Mr Yuki," he said patting my on the shoulder and smiling, "I'm glad you decided to join us Jaden, it wouldn't have been the same without you."

"I wasn't sure either," I said honestly, "but I'm glad I'm here."

I could tell by the look on his face that Chancellor Sheppard understood what I meant, so I'm glad he didn't go any further than that. He always knew when to leave things alone, but I guess that's part of his job as a headmaster.

Chancellor Sheppard informed us of the plans for the weekend before we set off on a tour of the island.

I didn't really understand why we needed a tour of the island, it's not like I could forget the place, having faced death here several times in my life.

At least Amalie seemed to be enjoying herself. She was taking loads of pictures and asking all sorts of questions, which I'm pretty sure led to the tour taking far longer than it needed too.

We made our way around to the Obelisk Blue dorm and stopped to a halt.

"And this is where you will all be staying," Sheppard said turning to face us all.

Amalie took multiple pictures of the building as I stood in disbelief. The whole time I had been at Duel Academy, I had only been a Slifer Red but now I was about to stay in Obelisk Blue dorm, and it felt so wrong.

As if reading my mind Sheppard started to explain, "I know some of you might not take to this," he said looking at me and Syrus particularly, "but we had to divide everyone into groups and I thought that we'd pair all of you with the rest of your friends here in Obelisk."

I mean when he explained it like that it made a lot of sense, we couldn't put everyone together in one accommodation so there had to be some organisation. It was just a shame I couldn't spend my time in Slifer Red like the good old days.

All seven of us made our way into the Obelisk Blue dorm. It was already filling up with other guests who had also been paired together to stay here, but Sheppard assured us that we would have a floor all to ourselves.

When I think about it, I never really spent much time in the Obelisk dorm. I never really had a reason to be over here. Yeah sure, I duelled over here and walked past it on many occasions, but I'd never really spent a sustained period of time here.

I could see why people liked to stay here though, it certainly was cleaner and posher than Slifer, but I would always be a red through and through.

Chancellor Sheppard left us waiting in the line to go and check on other guests. I suppose he couldn't spend all day with just us.

Amalie squeezed her way forward to be standing in front of me, I'm sure she had been taking pictures rather than actually paying attention to where we were in the queue.

"This place is awesome," she said taking yet another picture, "I can see why you guys wanted to come back now."

Syrus, Zane, Bastion and Juniper had already set off towards their rooms leaving me and Amalie to get our keys on our own.

I smiled at her, "well, I didn't really stay here per say but I'm happy to be back, I certainly do have a lot of good memories here," I said as we made the front of the queue.

"A lot of good memories are you sure, you slifer slacker," said an all too familiar voice.

"What did you say to him, sir," Amalie said looking shocked at Doctor Crowler.

I smiled; I knew that wouldn't go down well.

"It's doctor thank you and who might you be young lady," Crowler said, already getting frustrated with the conversation.

"I could say the same thing to you," she said back, I could tell she was enjoying winding up Crowler, "I'm Amalie, can we have two keys please, I'm really bored of this conversation and I've got plenty to explore."

I burst out laughing, Amalie wasn't doing herself any favours with Crowler, but I sure as hell was enjoying myself.

Crowler gave a completely horrified look, "YOUNG LADY HOW DARE YOU TAL…"

"Easy Crowler, I've got this one," said another familiar voice.

Crowler turned and walked away as I was frozen to the spot.

Now, if you had told me less than ten seconds ago, I would have preferred having to deal with Crowler then I would have laughed, but in this situation, I wanted the doctor to come back.

"Hello, miss how may I…."

Atticus Rhodes suddenly stopped talking as he looked up from the desk and made eye contact with me.

"Umm, do you two know each other," Amalie said, clearly noticing the awkward tension in the air.

Neither of us replied, we just looked at each other.

I didn't really consider the fact that Atticus might be here. I'd never really given it much thought, but come to think of it, I do remember someone saying he started to teach here not long after Duel Academy graduation.

I had no idea whether he knew about the argument with Alexis. If he did this conversation was about to go south very quickly.

"Jaden Yuki," he said hesitantly at first.

I couldn't tell whether there was any hatred in the way he said my name.

Suddenly he exploded into life, "I don't believe it, you're here, oh man, wait until Alexis finds out, I'm so excited, I didn't think you were coming, people said you might be coming but I wasn't sure, man, this is so great!"

Well, clearly, he had no idea, something that if I got to talk to Alexis, I would have to mention to her.

"Hey, Atticus, how are you man," I said guiltily.

It was hard talking to him knowing what I had said about him, "oh this is Amalie by the way."

He turned to look at Amalie and his facial expression changed, "is this your girlfriend?"

"Hi, hello, I'm Amalie, as I have explained to a number of people today, I'm not Jaden's girlfriend, just his friend," Amalie said clearly frustrated and wanting to leave.

Atticus loosened up again, "oh right, hi, nice to meet you I'm Atticus, I used to go to school here with Jaden."

Atticus spoke to us a while longer before people in the queue behind us started to get impatient.

"Right, well, I best let you guys get going, here is your key Amalie," he said, handing her room 207.

He picked up the last key in our groups collection and handed it to me, "and Jaden, I kept this free just in case you did show, so here you go."

He handed me room 218, "oh are we not next to each other," I said looking at Amalie's key.

Atticus smiled at me, "unfortunately not but you are next to someone else," he said with a twinkle in his eye.

His face suddenly turned very serious, "you should probably have a good chat with your neighbour, might help you both out."

I looked at him puzzled but before I had a chance to ask him what he meant; he had already moved onto helping another guest.

Amalie and I made our way upstairs to find our rooms. Atticus explained that we were on the second floor and each floor had roughly 18 rooms on it, plenty of room to fit me and my friends. Each floor also had a common area on it, I suppose it was an area for everyone to socialise.

I dropped Amalie off at her room before heading to my own. I was right at the end of the corridor, so I only had one-person next door, clearly that was who Atticus had meant for me to talk to.

As I unpacked everything, I put on some music.

It wasn't that I was delaying everything, I just wanted to compose myself before going to find all of my friends.

I spent an hour or so just relaxing in my room, but I kept thinking about what Atticus had said.

Why did I need to talk to my neighbour I thought to myself.

I heard the door of the room next door to me close.

I'll do it later, I thought to myself.

I decided it was time to go and face everyone, I'd delayed it for almost three years, no good waiting any longer.

I made my way down to the common room and I could hear plenty of noise coming from within the room.

Amalie had told me that she was going to phone her family and would be down in a little while, so I was facing this on my own.

I made my way into the room and a wave of emotion came over me at the sight of so many familiar faces, all of whom went absolutely silent upon my entry.

Sat in front of me were so many familiar faces. Zane, Syrus and Bastion I had already seen but Chazz, Hassleberry, Axel, Jim, Aster, Chumley and Blair were all staring at me with a mixture of shock, happiness and wariness.

For a few seconds it was silent but then I decided to speak first, "is it okay if I join you all?"

Everyone looked at me again, I wasn't sure whether this was good or bad.

I looked at Syrus, who just smiled and patted the space next to him on the sofa, encouraging me to join them.

I made my way over towards the seat but Chazz stood up and blocked my way.

"You've got nerve," he said sounding very hostile, "thinking you can come back here and walk in like nothing ever happened."

I took a step back. I should have been expecting some hostility, everything had been too easy so far. I looked around at everyone for some support, but no one would look at me in the eyes.

Chazz was right.

I backed up, scared, unsure of my current situation but I felt a reassuring hand on my shoulder guide me back towards the centre of the room.

I turned to see who it was, and I was greeted by a warm smile from an all too familiar face, "hey buddy, long time no see."

Jesse Anderson.

How I had missed him, it wasn't easy leaving but not saying goodbye to him, after everything we went through, was something I had been replaying in my mind over and over again on the journey here.

I tried to put my best smile on, "hey Jess," I said incredibly quietly.

"Chazz, why don't we let our _friend_ sit down with us," Jesse said moving past me into the room.

He must have come in just after me because he wasn't in the room when I arrived.

"Jesse, seriously, you're just going to let him off after what he did," Chazz said, completely shocked.

Jesse sat down in the seat next to Syrus and looked at me, "no I'm not, but he is still my friend Chazz, as he is all of yours, I think we should at least let him explain himself before we make any rash decisions."

He looked me giving me a reassuring smile.

Jesse had given me a chance, a chance to put things right.

I went to the middle of the room and faced everyone.

At first had seemed pretty easy but when you get thirty eyes all staring at you, it does become intimidating.

I composed myself before looking at everyone, "I know you're probably all wondering what happened," I said.

I paused everyone remained quiet and I looked at Jesse who urged me to continue.

"I… I never meant to do what I did, I just… everything got on top of me, I wasn't myself, it wasn't any of your faults, I completely blame myself, I don't know if you can forgive me, maybe some of you have," I said looking at Syrus and Zane who just smiled and nodded, "but honestly, I should have said goodbye to you all, I want to share everything with you all, be honest with you all, something that maybe I wasn't at DA, be honest."

I hadn't realised but a tear had escaped from my eye and run down my cheek as I had been talking.

"All I can say is that I'm sorry for what I did, I missed you guys" I said, looking up, wiping the tear from my cheek.

Silence. That was all that followed.

I had put every ounce of emotion into it, it all just came out at once, I wasn't sure if it was the right stuff to say. I just knew that's what I wanted to say.

I bowed my head in shame. Clearly it wasn't good enough. I should have known.

Suddenly, I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders.

I turned around and Jesse smiled at me.

"Jay, you don't need to be sorry, we all just missed you," I looked around to seeing everyone nodded in agreement, "I'm just glad to have you back," he said, pulling me in for a hug.

That was it. Everything I needed. I didn't need to be forgiven completely; I just needed a starting point.

Gradually one by one, my friends came up to me, some forgiving me, some having a laugh with me, others (aka Chazz) less than impressed but being tolerable.

After that everyone relaxed. Everyone started to ask me about my two years away. I told them about my family, the job I've been doing and just how much I had actually missed everyone. I also filled them in on not duelling and explained why. Everyone seemed to understand my reasoning even if they didn't agree with it.

I'd opened up to everyone, but there was one person I hadn't spoken to yet and I wondered where she was, "hey Jess, where is Alexis."

Jesse had told me all about the time they had spent together, and I had this weird feeling inside, something that I'd never really felt before for anyone. I couldn't work out the feeling, I would have to ask Amalie later, she would know what the feeling was.

"I don't know mate, she said she was going to come down here when I saw her earlier, maybe she just fell asleep or something," he said, not looking up from his phone.

He was adding me into the group chat before we went for dinner. He said it was only fair I was included now that I was in the group again, although, I wasn't sure if everyone would agree.

We all talked for a while longer before I decided I needed to head back and get ready for dinner.

As I made my way back to my room, I was checking my phone because Syrus had told me he would text the group about where to go for dinner because I didn't have a clue where I was going, but I hadn't heard from him yet and was stressing..

As I neared my room, I heard the door to my neighbour's room swing open except, I wasn't paying any attention still.

They came out at a very fast pace and we both collided into one another hitting the floor with a thud.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said the other person.

I froze. I knew that voice, I hadn't heard it in two years. Now everything Atticus had said made sense.

The other person stopped in their tracks, realising it was me they had crashed into.

I slowly looked up and was met with a pair of bright golden eyes.

* * *

**There you have it folks, I hope you all enjoyed.**

**That was only part one of the Reunion. There's still TWO more.**

**Let me know what you thought, what did you make of Jaden's apology. Wow is the neighbour, what do you think will happen in the next part.**

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**Writey x**


	10. The Reunion: Part 2

**Who's ready for round two of the reunion? **

**I hope you guys enjoyed the first part; this part should be as equally entertaining!**

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**If you can, leave a review, I promise after this chapter (seeing as we've made the 10-chapter mark), I will stop with the review plugs!**

**Anyway, you're not here to listen to me waffle on, let's get this going.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

Great, I thought to myself picking up the book I was carrying, I'm already late to the common room and now I'm injuring people on my way there.

I am never, ever late for things, it is something I am proud of but today, everything had just gotten out of hand, there had been way too many surprises for one day.

My day, like most since I've been back at Duel Academy, had started just about the same way. I got out of bed, showered, did my hair, put on the outfit that I had laid out the night before and made my way to breakfast to join the others.

Over the past few days, Chazz, Chumley, Blair and my annoying brother Atticus had joined Jesse, me, Jim, Hassleberry and Axel on the island for the reunion.

Chazz and Blair had arrived together (I decided there was more to this, if you get what I mean) and Chumley had arrived very early this morning.

Aster wasn't scheduled to be arriving until after breakfast whilst, Zane, Bastion and Syrus weren't coming early, let's put it that way.

I wasn't sure about Jaden; all I knew however was that something inside me was excited to see him, but I didn't want to admit it to myself.

I'd made my way down to breakfast. We had our own dining room and kitchen as a floor, something they had added since I was last here. It was all self-catering which meant everyone was cooking for themselves, well everything except dinner, Dorothy had agreed to make us all dinner for the few days whilst we were here.

I was always usually first down to breakfast but not today, in fact somehow Jesse had beaten me down, which was the first surprising thing to happen today.

"_Ahh, Lexi," he said turning around as I walked in, "I've made pancakes, do you want some?"_

_I stifled a laugh as I looked at him, he was wearing an 'I love cooking apron' with a chef's hat on, covered in dough._

"_No thanks Jess," I said holding in my laugh, "I'll just stick to coffee and cereals."_

_I made myself a brew as Jesse whistled, flipping another pancake, "why are you in such a good mood?"_

_He smiled at me, "just am, I get all my friends in one place again."_

_It was true. Everyone was turning up today, we were all going to be together and I would have been lying if I said I wasn't as excited as Jesse._

_As I sat eating my breakfast, everyone else started to arrive._

_Chazz made a statement about Jesse's outfit but Jesse just mentioned the fact that Chazz and Blair had both arrived at breakfast at the same time which made Chazz go bright red._

_We all sat and chatted for a while, everyone eating their different breakfasts before I decided to head upstairs and relax before the pandemonium of everyone arriving would begin._

Jesse being first down to breakfast never happened, that was the first surprise in store for the day.

The second came later and well, I wish now I had managed it in a different way, but you'll understand what I mean.

_After about an hour or so, there was a knock at my door._

_That's strange I thought to myself, I wasn't expecting anyone._

_I shuffled out of bed and put the book down I was reading._

_I opened the door and Jesse stood in front of me, smiling. He had clearly showered since his cooking exploits this morning._

"_Hey, Jess," I said motioning for him to follow me inside, "you know, you don't have to knock."_

_Our friendship had developed so much over the past few months that I didn't mind him coming in unannounced as long as he checked I wasn't changing or anything._

_He followed me in and closed the door but didn't take a seat, he simply stood by the door._

_I was confused because he never acted like this, "is everything okay Jesse."_

_He looked up at me and I realised I could see he was nervous, "yeah everything is okay Lex, it's just this morning in the kitchen, when you we talked about our friends being in one place, I realised that there was something I'd been meaning to tell you."_

_My head suddenly became an encyclopaedia, going over everything that statement meant._

_Are some of our friends not coming today? Is he leaving early or skipping the reunion? Does he know something about Jaden that I don't know? Has someone told him something about Jaden that he's going to tell me?_

_Oh god!_

_He wasn't about to say he wanted to be more than friends, was he?_

_I tried to keep a composed face and encouraged him to go on._

"_It's just that," he said, I was getting nervous now, "I'm…."_

_I couldn't take it anymore, so I just blurted out "Jesse, I don't like you like that."_

_Jesse stopped and looked very confused, "what Alexis, I wanted to tell you that I'm moving to New Domino City after the reunion, what did you think I was going to say?"_

_I went bright pink, "umm, well, yeah that was….. totally what I thought you were about to say?"_

_Then, Jesse sparked up a cheeky grin and came towards me._

"_Did you… you thought I was about to tell you I liked you didn't you," he said poking and teasing me, "aww, how cute, you thought I had a crush on you."  
_

_I wriggled away from him before turning around trying not to blush again, "No I did not, I just had to tell you I don't like you, at all."_

_I tried to put on my hard exterior again but suddenly, what Jesse had said sunk in._

"_Wait, you're moving to New Domino City?"_

_Once I said that, his body language automatically shifted back to what it had been when he originally walked into the room._

"_Yeah Lex, but I was going to tell you honestly, I just needed to find the right time," he said, "why don't you move with me, then we can still be near each other and start fresh again."_

_I sat at the edge of my bed in silence. What he was saying made sense. We could both move there and start again. But it was all so sudden and why couldn't he just tell me straight away!_

_I felt me blood temperature rising._

_Why, when I am on this bloody island, does everyone think they can't tell me things about themselves!_

_I looked at Jesse, but I wasn't angry, I was just disappointed._

"_Jesse, you know I love you like a brother, but I need you to leave."_

_He looked up at me and I could tell my words had hurt him, "but Alexis please, come on, jus…."_

"_Jesse," I said holding back the tears, "last time I had a conversation like this, it ended up in a huge argument, just go before we start shouting."_

_I could see the disappointment on his face, but he understood._

_I watched as he turned and left, then, my face crashed into the pillow tears flowing from my face._

Yep, so my day started off all joyous and lovely until that happened.

The final reason and probably the one I was least expecting, was this.

_After reapplying my make-up and composing myself, I headed out of my room to go and find Jesse and apologise to him._

_I was probably too harsh on him. Who was I to tell him what he can and can't do, if I was his friend, I would support his decision, however hard it might be for me._

_I made my way out of my room. Because our floor was on the second level, we could look out onto the whole of the open area of the Obelisk Blue dorm and I realised that people must have been arriving because there was a lot of noise coming from just over the walkway._

_I peered over the edge and there was an array of people I recognised from my time at Duel Academy._

_I realised that maybe Zane and Syrus might have arrived and started to look hastily along the line. _

_I hadn't seen them in forever and I really wanted to surprise them at their door._

_I walked along the hallway a bit before finally spotting them._

_They were just making their way towards the lift to take them to the second floor._

_I started to hurry try to beat them to second floor lift entrance until something caught my eye or rather until someone caught my eye._

"_Jaden…." I whispered under my breath, coming to a halt._

_It was definitely him; I could tell by the hair; it was still exactly the same. His look was different though, he looked more…. mature. I didn't know whether that was a good or bad thing but all I knew was something was stirring inside me; except I wasn't really sure what it meant._

_I hadn't felt anything like this for nearly two years, I'd almost forgotten what the feeling had felt like._

_I looked at him and realised I had been smiling the entire time._

_Right let's stop that, I said to myself._

_It didn't take long for my smile to disappear._

_He wasn't alone._

"_Agh," someone said from beside me, "this reminds me of the first time we saw Jaden Yuki, just standing over him watching his duel again Crowler."_

_The smile reappeared on my face, "Zane," I said wrapping my arms around him in a hug._

_Because of my daydream, I didn't even realise he was there._

"_Woah, easy Alexis, I'm here," he said hugging me back, "however, I see you have your mind on another old acquaintance anyway."  
_

_I felt my face heat up and I kept it buried on Zane's shoulder so that my blush would disappear._

_When I felt it go away, I pulled my face back to look at him._

"_No, Zane, I was actually coming to find you."_

_It was true, I did mean to come and see Zane and Syrus at first, but I couldn't take my mind off the redhead that had been stood next to Jaden. _

_Did he have a girlfriend?_

_Another strange sensation came over me, one I'd never really felt before and one I definitely didn't want to feel again._

"_Yeah, sure you did," he said moving one of his bags towards me, "you can help me take me stuff to my room if you really were coming to see me."_

_I smiled and picked up his bag._

_I helped him move all of his stuff back to his room and quickly helped him unpack._

"_Alexis," he said mid unpacking, "that's not his girlfriend."_

_I looked confused for a moment before understanding._

"_I never asked if it was," I said, trying to play it off cool._

_Secretly, for some reason, I did care but didn't want him to know._

"_Just thought you might like to know." _

_I could hear the smirk in his voice whilst he said it, but I decided I'd had enough disagreements for one day._

_We sat and talked for a while longer before we realised what the time was, and we started to leave the room to go to meet the others._

"_I need to go get some stuff from my room, meet you at the common room in a bit?"_

_He nodded and locked the door behind him._

_I made my way down the hallway and entered my room. After what only felt like a few seconds I heard my neighbour's door go._

_I wonder who that is, I thought to myself._

_I could have gone to see but for some reason I decided to continue getting ready._

_I quickly sorted my hair and gathered everything I needed._

_I quickly headed for my door but as I reached it someone knocked._

_I waited a second and then answered._

_I was very surprised by who was stood in front of me._

"_Jaden, have you seen my…." Said the person who was rummaging through a bag before realising I wasn't Jaden, "oh sorry, I thought this was Jaden's room, must have got the numbers muddled."_

_It was the red-haired girl that had been with Jaden in the queue._

_I felt a surge of anger come through me, but I calmed myself._

"_Hi, I'm Alexis, that's no problem, I don't know what room he is but I can help you find him, are you his…."_

_I couldn't even finish my sentence before she looked at me with daggers._

"_Alexis, hi I'm Amalie, now, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt because we've just met and I've barely seen another girl since I've arrived but please, don't ever try to ask me that again, I'm getting fed up of people asking me if I'm his boyfriend, like do we really give off that vibe?"_

_I looked at Amalie for a minute as she looked at me, then we both smiled and burst out laughing._

"_You know…." I said between laughs, "people literally used to ask me the same thing."_

_We kept laughing until we were both on the floor from our giggles._

"_Oh dear," Amalie said still trying to recover, "it's annoying isn't it."_

_I looked at her and nodded._

_Once we had finished all our laughing, we both sat up._

_She stuck her hand out and smiled, "let's do this right shall we, hi I'm Amalie."_

_I smiled back and shook her hand, "nice to meet you Amalie, I'm Alexis._

_I suppose I must admit to myself that I judged her slightly to quickly, "what have you lost?"_

_Amalie suddenly looked concerned again, "oh it's just this book I'm reading, it's about these people who get taken and need to be recused…."_

"_But the twist is that the place they end up in makes you age much quicker than normal," I said realising exactly what book she was talking about._

"_Yeah, that's it, have you read it," she said looking up at me._

_I nodded, "yeah actually, I think I have a copy with me, you can borrow mine until you find yours," I said turning my back and quickly heading into my room._

_I realised that I was probably incredibly late to the common room by now so what was another few minutes, "Amalie," I shouted from my room._

"_Yeah," she said peering her head in._

"_If you go back to your room, I'll drop the book off on my way to the place I'm going," I said, my head buried in one of the bags I had brought with me._

"_Okay, thank you, I'm room 204," she said, closing my door and heading back off to her room._

Now you see, that is how I had ended up in this position. I had found the book for Amalie but in doing so I had ended up on my backside, in a rush to give her the book so I could get to the common room and see people before we have dinner.

You follow?

I was trying not to go bright pink at the embarrassment of crashing into some complete stranger because I was running late. I just hoped it wasn't Dorothy, I couldn't stand the thought of injuring her because she was trying to be nice to us.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I said not wanting to look up due to the embarrassment.

The other person didn't respond.

I stood up slowly making sure the book wasn't damaged before meeting the eyes of the person I had crashed into.

You know how I said everything bad was happening for a reason, I was pretty sure this was the reason everything was going so wrong.

I couldn't have walked into a complete stranger, oh no, I had to crash into the one person that I hadn't spoken to in almost two years.

I looked at Jaden and it made me feel about ten different feelings in ten seconds, but I tried to calm myself.

He slowly rose to his feet brushing off his knees and looked at me.

Now, considering I hadn't seen him in almost two years, he had certainly grown up a lot in that time. For a start, he was taller and more muscular, he looked older; it made him look wiser, he'd definitely been working out, he just looked a lot more se…

I stopped myself.

What the hell!

I wasn't about to repeat what I had just thought but I agreed with my brain never to think like that again.

"Hi Alexis," he said, snapping me out of my daydream.

It sounded like he was…. nervous.

Jaden Yuki.

Nervous.

"Hey," I said back, trying not to show emotion. As much as I wanted to forgive him, last time we had spoken he had said some pretty horrible things.

Not that it was any good, I was feeling so many different things that I would probably just start acting really weird.

I wasn't really sure what to say to him, there had been so much I wanted to say to him but now he was actually here, I was at a loss.

We stood again for what felt like forever before he started talking again, "Alexis, I think I owe you an apology."

"I think I owe you one as well," I said back.

He shook his head, "no you don't, for two years, I've been replaying that moment on the clifftop over and over in my head."

I was shocked, he didn't want me to apologise, even after the things that I had said.

"And all I could think about was how much I hurt you. Those words… my words, no friend should ever say something like that to someone they care about. I've been playing it over and over again in my head all this time. If, you're willing to hear me out, I want you to know that, I want you to know me more."

I giggled slightly. That had made no sense but so much sense at the same time.

I could feel a tear, running down my cheek as I stood there looking at him.

Jaden gave a slight chuckle, "I know, I know but what I mean is, I don't want to keep secrets from you anymore. I don't want to argue anymore. I don't want to feel like I can't talk to you anymore. I just want to be me again. For us to be us."

I could see that he was trying not to get all emotional, so I just let him go on.

"You don't have to be sorry, you didn't know, no one did. I never really let anyone in, so how can I blame you for what you said, I don't need an apology, I just want you guys back."

"Have you seen the others," it sounded like he had but I wanted to be sure.

He nodded, "yeah, I've told them but I had more to say to you, I can't change the past, I can't take away what I said from existence but I want you to know that, I'll be by your side always, I never meant it. I know you said you don't ever want to see me again."

I looked down at the ground in shame, but he put a hand on my chin to make our eyes meet once more and my heart fluttered.

"Hey, look at me, I will get on my hands and knees if you want, I just want to you have you back as my friend."

I was at a loss for words.

Again.

I was relieved, it was what I was hoping for two years, it was all I could think about, this apology, but why did him saying the word 'friend' hurt.

Either way, I smiled and cried all at once.

"You know Jaden, for someone so clueless, you are really good with words," I said laughing.

He started laughing as well, "I guess, I'm forgiven?"

I looked at him, "hmm, depends, you better not ask me to dance tomorrow?"

He laughed, "I think if that's the only rule, then I can live with that."

In one movement, he pulled me in for a hug and I nestled into his midriff.

There was a time where I was actually taller than him but right now, I didn't mind being shorter, it was nice to have my friend back.

We stayed there for a few more seconds before a cough from behind Jaden startled us.

"Umm, sorry to interrupt whatever this is, but I'm really hungry and would quite like that book please, Alexis," said a smirking Amalie.

I'm pretty sure both Jaden and I were bright red as we quickly separated.

"Wait, you guys know each other," Jaden said, trying to change the topic of conversation quickly.

I looked at Amalie and we both smiled, "it's a long story."

"Yeah," Amalie said, "but how about Alexis explains to you over dinner otherwise, I'll eat your dinner as well Yuki."

I looked at Jaden, who looked panicked, "yeah, okay, let's go, just don't eat my food."

I laughed as we turned away to head to the dining hall.

As we all walked together to dinner, I couldn't help but think that this weekend was going to go really well.

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

I sat at the dinner table looking around at all my friends and a smile came across my face.

If you had told me this morning, that I would have been in this position now, it would have been my dream situation.

Dinner had been great; well it had been amazing actually.

Miss Dorothy had come and cooked us an amazing array of food. There was Italian, Chinese, Japanese, American, there were so many dishes that I didn't even recognise them all.

I'm pretty sure she was spoiling us all because of how fussy some people were.

The drinks to go with it were also going down a treat.

Well for me anyway.

I'm pretty sure everyone was drinking some form of alcoholic beverage, but I wasn't entirely sure, largely due to the part that I'd probably had one too many to drink.

To top everything off, the conversation was great, I'd managed to have a quick catch up with everybody because people were always changing seats.

Chazz had reluctantly told me about the family business, I also had a feeling from talking to Blair that they were both seeing each other, but I didn't want to pry too much.

Atticus had spoken to me about working at Duel Academy. He mainly just told me about the perks of being a member of staff and how he never gave any detentions.

Jim, Axel and Aster told me about their experience on the pro circuit. Each of them would be competing in the World Championships but none would face each other until later rounds, just like Zane and Syrus.

Chumley and Hassleberry were still doing very well for themselves, but I didn't really expect anything less. They'd both worked so hard whilst at Duel Academy that they deserved everything they got.

I'd intentionally tried to sit between Syrus and Zane, purely to avoid having to talk about myself. I mean after the past few hours I'd had; I didn't really feel like talking about myself anymore. I just wanted to catch up on everything.

I suppose the only person I hadn't spoken to at dinner was Alexis.

Her, Amalie and Juniper had spent pretty much the entire meal talking to each other, with Bastion just sat pretending to be interested.

In a way it was good, I had a chance to think about my conversation with Alexis.

It went pretty much the same as the one I had in front of the group, except, it felt more important.

I struggled to even get my words out at first, just seeing her had brought back so many memories but once everything spilled out, I didn't look back.

I think the most surprising bit was the fact that she forgave me, I wasn't expecting it but I certainly wasn't going to complain about it either.

Hell, she even started to cry slightly, I thought I was in trouble then at that point.

All in all, I was just really happy to have everything back to how it was.

After a while everyone had finally finished their food and we all vacated the dining room.

"Hey, guys," Jesse said halfway down the corridor.

He had been particularly quiet at dinner, but I wasn't really sure as to why.

"Why don't we go into the common and chill for a bit, Hassleberry, bring a bit of your port as well," he said, giving a cheeky wink and looking like his normal self.

I could tell it was just a coverup, but I didn't want to push him into saying why. I'd only just seen him after a few years, I was going to try to make everything better and act as if we had been close the entire time.

I wobbled on my feet for a second and realised that I was definitely the most drunk.

"Okay, I'll get the port but the sarge isn't having any," Hassleberry said looking and laughing at me.

Everyone looked and started to giggle.

Yeah, I was definitely drunk, how embarrassing.

I felt a vibration in my pocket and looked at my phone.

Damn 10% battery, "I needy go put my phone in the charge," I said through the burps. I was sure it didn't make sense, but I didn't really care that much.

Everyone looked at each other, as if deciding whether to let me go or not.

"Okay, but drink some water before you come back," Syrus said, turning and heading towards the common room.

Amalie locked arms with me and said, "don't worry, I'm going to bed anyway, I'm dead tired and need to be raring to go tomorrow, I'll make sure he gets back."

That remark got a few questioning looks, but I knew that she secretly wanted to check in at home so I let her tell the other what she wanted too.

Once, everyone disappeared into the common room, we made our way back to my room, bumping into a few things along the way.

Once we arrived, Amalie took the keys to my door out my pocket.

She opened the door, trying to keep me upright and let me stumble inside.

As I got my bearings, Amalie just stopped for a minute, waiting for me to crash onto my bed before talking, "hey, Jaden, I know you probably won't remember this in the morning but thank you for inviting me, I'm so glad you chose to come."

I smiled and mumbled a, 'you're welcome' before Amalie laughed, handed me a cup of water and said goodnight.

It took a couple of attempts before I sat myself up and drank some water.

Once I had finished the cup, I felt slightly better, like I wasn't going to be sick.

Man I need to remember that cure, I thought to myself.

I looked at my phone and realised I'd been almost 30 minutes, so I put my phone on charge and quickly headed for the common room.

As I made my way to common room, I could hear talking but it wasn't a lot of talking, it was as if everyone was having one big conversation.

Something inside me told me to slow down, so just before I got to the door, I waited outside and listened to what was being said.

"I don't care, he turns up, says sorry and then gets smashed, I'm sorry but it doesn't seem very sincere," said a voice that was definitely Chazz.

I tightened up slightly, they were talking about me, talking whilst I wasn't there.

"I agree with Chazz," Blair said, it was definitely Blair, "we haven't heard from him in almost two years and this is how he acts."

I knew that my actions weren't great. But surely, they could have just told me to tone down the drinking at dinner or something.

A few more people spoke, but I wasn't really listening.

I was hurt, I knew I shouldn't have been, I didn't even know the context of the conversation really.

But I had only just seen them again, I'd put everything on the line, sadi how sorry I was and I'd blown it already.

Wait, they were talking behind my back though.

That made me angry but then even more sad.

They couldn't even talk to me.

It was just like what I did to them two years ago, I didn't tell them, anything.

I wanted to go back to my room, I didn't want to hear them judge me anymore.

Before I could leave, I quickly tuned back into the conversation, but I don't know why. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't wrong.

It was Alexis talking, "and to be honest with you, I'm tired of this conversation, I'm going to bed."

I suddenly panicked as she came to the door.

I tried to act cool but I was too upset and angry to do anything other than stand there.

She came around the corner and we almost collided once more, "oh, wow, almost again," she laughed, she kind of sounded nervous and for a minute, I felt good again.

Suddenly, everyone else appeared and that good feeling disappeared fast.

Alexis looked at my facial expression, I could tell she knew how I was feeling, "Jaden, how long have you been here?"

She sounded very worried and looked around at everyone else, but I couldn't tell her facial expression.

"Jaden," Syrus said, clearly realising was she meant, "it wasn't what it sounded like."

I felt the anger boil inside of me, back to this again, thinking I'm stupid.

Why did my friends think I was stupid?

I wasn't going to shout though, I wanted to at least remember the good parts about the day, I could at least keep those.

"I heard what I needed to hear," I said.

It probably came out more venomous than I really intended, but I didn't care.

"I knew coming here wasn't a good idea," I said, not wanting to meet the eyes of anyone, "I just thought, that maybe, I was wanted here but clearly I was wrong."

I looked at the guys, they were all silent as I thought they would be.

I then looked at Alexis, who had a tear in her eye.

I don't know what made me, but I wiped it from her cheek. For some reason, I felt even worse for that tear being there.

"I'll go home tomorrow; I can get the first boat back."

It felt wrong saying that, but I didn't want to be here right now.

I suddenly thought about Amalie, "I'm not ruining this for Amalie. Syrus, I expect you to make sure she gets back."

I looked at him and he gave a simple nod.

I glanced at Alexis, but she wasn't even looking at me anymore.

It bothered me, did I hurt her again?

I put that to the back of my mind.

"Jaden," Zane said stepping forward, "Don't do thi…"

"It's okay Zane, I've made my decision. I'll be seeing you guys."

And with one quick movement, I made my way to my room, water streaming down my face.

* * *

**Wow, okay, that took a lot longer to write than I expected.**

**Was a hard one I must say but what did you guys think.**

**While you all digest it, I'll say, for the last time in this story I PROMISE, to please, please, please review, let me know what you think, story ideas and all that.**

**I'll continue to remind you all to favourite and follow because I didn't promise I'd stop that ;)**

**I know it was quite a long one, but surely it was worth it?**

**Final thing is just everyone, look after yourself, especially at the moment, take care of loved ones and people around you, help people and don't be too selfish.**

**You don't know what you have until it's gone.**

**Anyway, I'll get the last part of the reunion up when I can.**

**Until next time,**

**Writey x**


	11. The Reunion: Part 3

**Right, here we go, it's the reunion culmination, answers, new questions, excitement, sadness, it has got the lot.**

**I hope you all enjoy this story. There is still a long way to go but, we get past this first major hurdle.**

**There will be a lot of jumping between POV's in this chapter so bear with me, but it should still be good (hopefully).**

**Follow and Favourite if you so wish, other than that enjoy.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

Last night was a nightmare.

For starters I couldn't sleep which wasn't great, I knew I had the reunion coming up, but I just couldn't get to sleep, my body wouldn't let me.

I mean I did have a lot on my mind, with Jaden leaving before the reunion even began and Jesse leaving for New Domino.

Jesse leaving for New Domino wasn't actually really a problem when I went to bed last night. I mean, I know we argued but it just shouldn't have been a conversation, I should have listened in the first place.

_As we made our way down to the common room, I decided it was a good time, to talk to Jesse, everyone else had their own little conversations going on and he was still bothered by our conversation earlier, I could see it on his face._

_I moved easily alongside him and once he noticed me a small smile crept onto his lips._

_I could tell I was going to have to do most of the talking on this one._

"_Jesse," I said, we continued to walk but I could tell he was listening, "I'm sorry, for what I did earlier, I know you were only being nice, and I turned you away."_

_Wow this is actually harder than I thought it would be._

_We'd reached the common room and the others had gone inside._

_Jesse went to follow them in, but I grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks, "hey Jess, are you listening to me?"_

_He stopped and look me in the eyes, I could see the pain on his face from the conversation._

_I just continued talking, "all I wanted to say is that, I'm glad you're going to New Domino, I think it will be good for you and I'm going to be there for you, always, I just need you to know that I don't know what I'm doing yet, okay?"  
_

_I could see that his mood hadn't changed, so clearly my apology wasn't good enough._

_I tried to go past him, but he moved to the side to the side, "Alexis, wait." _

_I looked up at him and he had a smile on his face, "you know, I see you like my sister right. I just don't want to lose that so that's why I had to say something, it had been bothering me ever since Syrus had asked me to live with him."_

_I did a double take._

_He was living with Syrus._

_I hadn't really considered the fact that he might be staying with someone. _

_I guess I presumed that he would just get his own place._

_I suddenly had a thought, is everyone leaving me behind?_

_I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind and just looked at him, "well, at least I won't have to look after you anymore."_

_He smiled and laughed, "yeah that is true, I think I'm going to go to bed anyway, it has been a long day, tell Hassleberry to keep me a drink of port for tomorrow."_

_I nodded at him before he passed me and headed to off to his room._

_Just before I went in, I heard him talk again, "oh and Alexis."_

_I turned to face him, "yeah?"_

_He turned to face me, still walking backwards, "you know that offer is still there for you to come as well, you didn't let me say yesterday, the flat has three bedrooms."_

_He turned and went down the hallway turning the corner that led to his room._

_I just stood still._

_There was another bedroom and it had my name on it._

_But, did I want to settle down?_

_I pondered that for a moment before I joined the others in the common room._

_All I knew was, I really had some thinking to do about my future._

I was glad I'd made up with Jesse.

But I hadn't even considered my future up until this weekend and now I had to make up my mind by the end of today about it.

It was quite a big decision.

What was the other reason I couldn't sleep?

I'm pretty sure you all know…

_Once I'd finished standing in the doorway, I made my way inside._

_I was expecting a lot of laughing and smiling but everyone just seemed flat, probably because they were tired._

_I don't even think anyone realised that Jesse hadn't followed me in._

_I took a seat next to Zane and looked at my phone._

_I'd had a couple of texts but really, I was just trying to just distract myself from my thoughts._

_Jesse's offer of living with him and Syrus was tempting but was it what I wanted._

_I looked at Syrus who was watching something on the television._

_I could definitely see myself living with them, but I don't know, was it the right time?_

_I looked around the room and realised that Juniper must have gone to bed as well because she wasn't here._

_We sat for a few more minutes before Chazz started to talk, "where is Jaden?"_

_Everyone just looked at Chazz, he was just being impatient, so everyone continued on with what they were doing._

"_He's probably already run away again," Chazz muttered under his breath._

_I looked at Syrus, who's face shot towards Chazz, "Chazz, I'd be careful what you say."_

_I'd never really seen the angry side of Syrus before, it was actually quite scary._

_Chazz looked back at Syrus, "oh calm down Truesdale, I'm only joking, I just don't get why everyone is being so relaxed about him being here."_

_Chazz had gained everyone's attention now, so much so, that the television had been turned off._

"_I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happy he's here, even if I don't always show it but he left without contacting any of us for two years and all of a sudden I'm supposed to be okay with it."_

_I could see a tension starting to build in the room, there were sides forming, fast._

"_He does have a point," Aster said._

_I wasn't expecting Aster to say anything, but I could see where everyone was coming from._

"_Yeah," Blair said, I think she was only saying it to back to Chazz._

_I'd decided they were in a relationship at dinner._

_All us girls were together while we ate but she was just sat beside Chazz at all times, with starry eyes._

"_Chazz, lets change topic of conversation," Zane said moving ever so slightly next to me._

_I agreed with Zane I wasn't in the mood for this. It had been a long day, and everyone just needed to chill out._

_I looked at Axel and Jim, I could tell they wanted to side with Chazz, but I knew they were just hurt from Jaden being away so long._

_Everybody was._

"_Okay, but all I'm saying is, he's now drunk in his room and probably won't even come out again tonight and see us, it just makes me sad that's all," Chazz said._

_I could see the sincerity in that comment, as much as Chazz acted like he didn't like Jaden, I think deep down he actually does._

_I looked back at Zane who was drifting off to sleep. Syrus on the other hand, I could tell he was full of rage._

"_Chazz," he said trying not to shout, "cut him some slack, he's been through a lot today, with the apologies and all, he's allowed to have a few drinks if he wants."_

_I could tell Syrus was trying really hard not to explode._

_I looked back at Chazz who just smiled, there was some definite tension between the two, "you know what I don't think it…. actually, I don't care, he turns up, says sorry and then gets smashed, I'm sorry but it doesn't seem very sincere."_

_Okay, now I was getting irritated._

_Why can't he just drop it!_

"_I agree with Chazz," Blair said, of course she did, "we haven't heard from him in almost two years and this is how he acts."_

_I could see people getting uncomfortable. _

_I was just getting mad. Christ cut the guy some slack; he's had a tough day._

_Zane was fully awake now and clearly not very happy, "right, I think everyone just needs to calm down."_

"_Yeah let's just drop this," Bastion said._

_I could tell that Chazz wanted to say more._

_Before he even had the chance, I said my piece._

"_Chazz, honestly, you're no better, you never talk to any of us anyway, I'm sick of people arguing, can we just all have a good time," I said, getting to my feet, "and to be honest with you, I'm tired of this conversation, I'm going to bed."_

_I made my way out of the room; I could tell that the others wanted to leave as well but I wasn't going to wait around for them._

_I didn't want to listen to Chazz talk about Jaden like that, not after the conversation we'd had today._

_As I turned the corner, I came to face to with Jaden, almost crashing into him again._

"_Oh, wow, almost again," I said, getting slightly shy._

_Shy? Since when was I shy around Jaden?_

_A small smile came onto to his face and my insides did little backflips._

_Okay, I really need to get a grip of myself._

_Suddenly that smiled disappeared as everyone else appeared behind me._

_I looked at his facial expression and a thought popped into my brain._

_How long had he been stood there?_

_I looked at him, "Jaden, how long have you been here?"_

_I quickly shifted round to face the others. I met Syrus in the eyes. I could see he knew what I meant, 'say something to him.'_

"_Jaden," he said without hesitating, "it wasn't what it sounded like."_

_I mean, that wasn't what I would have said but I went with it._

_I saw multiple emotions appear on Jaden's face before he simply said, "I heard what I needed to hear."_

_It was slightly croaked, the way he said it, but there was a lot of anger in there as well._

_Suddenly, he dropped his head to the floor and all I could feel was sadness. The sadness he felt._

"_I knew coming here wasn't a good idea, I just thought, that maybe, I was wanted here but clearly I was wrong."_

_I felt water on my cheeks and realised that the memories of two years ago were flooding back, Jaden leaving, not hearing from him. It felt like that all over again._

_The difference was he more mature, he wasn't angry or going to lash out. He was just disappointed. In a way, I was proud of him for not losing his temper, but it still hurt._

"_I'll go home tomorrow; I can get the first boat back," he said, before looking at Syrus, "I'm not ruining this for Amalie. Syrus, I expect you to make sure she gets back."_

_Of course. Amalie. _

_My mind went back to my new red-haired friend. She wasn't here, she didn't know what was going on._

_I couldn't look at him anymore. I felt to ashamed to have been involved in that conversation. It hurt just thinking about how hurt Jaden was._

_Someone moved past me to stand in front of Jaden, "Jaden," Zane said, "Don't do thi…"_

"_It's okay Zane, I've made my decision. I'll be seeing you guys."_

_And just like that, Jaden headed to his room. _

_There was silence amongst us before one by one people just headed off to their rooms leaving me, Syrus and Zane standing there._

_Syrus put a hand on my shoulder, "hey, he'll come around, don't worry too much and try to get some sleep."_

_I hadn't realised but I was still crying._

_Syrus headed off leaving just me and Zane standing there._

_Zane turned to face me and pulled me in for a hug. _

_We stood for a while before he silently let go and headed to his room._

_I stood in the corridor. I felt so lost, but I knew I had to try and get some sleep._

_I moved too slowly back towards my room; I went to bed, but I knew it was going to be a long night._

So, you see, that is how I ended up having no sleep last night.

I grabbed the kettle that had finished boiling and poured myself a cup of coffee.

It was early, let's put it that way. No one else was awake yet. I wasn't sure whether Jaden had left yet but thinking about it hurt considerably.

I pulled up a chair and sat down. There wasn't really much to do at this hour in the morning, so I opened the page to the book I was reading and started to flick through it.

Before long, I felt a pair of footsteps enter the kitchen, "good morning," Amalie said with a whistle in her voice.

I felt a load guilt course through me.

She has no idea about Jaden.

She carried on with her morning routine whilst I figured out the best way to tell her about Jaden.

"You know Alexis," she said turning to face me, she had definitely just gotten out of bed because her hair was everywhere, "I'm so glad that you guys sorted everything out and all, he was really worried about it."

I assumed she meant the conversations Jaden had with everyone, well, all of them except the one before bed.

I felt another surge of guilt.

"Goes to show how much an apology goes towards making things right," she said, taking her toast out the toaster.

I looked at Amalie, a sudden idea popping into my head, "Amalie, repeat what you just said."

Amalie looked confused, "what that Jaden was worried about seeing you all."

"No, after that," I said standing up, out of my seat.

"Goes to show how much an apology goes towards making things right?"

That was it!

I ran to Amalie and gave her a hug, "that's it, oh, you're brilliant!"

Amalie looked incredibly confused, "huh?"

I quickly told her about Jaden and the idea her comments had given me.

At first, she was understandably cross, but then calmed down at the thought of my proposal.

"Hey, I didn't even know what was going on and I'm still the saviour," Amalie said, puffing out her chest.

"You know Amalie, you're right, you may have just kept Jaden here for the reunion," I said, grabbing my phone and texting the others.

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Note to self, never get that drunk again.

I picked up the third glass of water I'd made for myself and took a rather large gulp.

I hadn't really been able to sleep last night, mainly because of how drunk I was but also, I was contemplating whether or not leaving was the right thing to do.

However, this morning I'd made my mind up to go.

It wasn't that I was using it as an excuse, I just didn't want to be here if people didn't want me here.

I would feel like I was just imposing.

I packed the last few bits into my bag and looked around my room.

It was sad, going before everything had even started, but it was what felt right.

I turned to head out the door and saw DK and Yubel, hovering at the doorway.

"What are you two doing," I said walking towards them.

"We're here to stop you from making a mistake," Yubel said, "I'm not letting you leave, not without thinking about this properly first."

I walked towards them but Yubel moved into my pathway.

"Yubel," I said crossing my arms, "you know I can walk straight past you," I said doing exactly that.

I walked through both my duel spirits and started walking down the corridor.

The hallway was mostly empty which I thought was good a thing, considering I was leaving, and I didn't really want to talk to anyone before I left.

I put my key in an envelope addressed to Amalie with a little note giving an explanation.

I'd thought about telling her personally, but I didn't really want to face the fact that she'd probably tell me to stay. I think it was worse worrying that she might just leave with me, she had such a good time yesterday that I couldn't face the reality of ruining her weekend.

I slid the letter under the door and then proceeded to head towards the docks.

"Jaden," DK said sounding serious, following on behind me, I'd never really seem him serious, "I agree with Yubel, you should reconsider leaving."

I stopped in my tracks and turned to face both of them, "well, do you know what, I'm glad you two agree on something for once but I've made my mind up," I said getting frustrated, "where have you two been anyway?"

They both looked worried, but DK answered anyway, "we just went to explore, I've never been here before, so I wanted to take a look around."

"Oh great," I said, snapping at them both, "so when I needed you both for some morale support, you were off flouncing around."

I instantly regretted what I had said as they both looked rather sad straight after.

"Hey look, I'm sorry okay, it's just been a long few days and I'm really tired, can we just get going please," I said pleading with them both.

They both looked at each over and begrudgingly nodded.

As we neared the port, I could see a group of people in the distance.

Hmm, that's strange, wonder if they're getting on the same boat as me.

They all had bags packed and looked as though they were heading off the island as well.

At least I won't be alone.

It was a lovely warm summers day.

It would have been perfect for a reunion.

I cut out those thoughts as I neared the port. I realised, as I got closer to them, that I recognised the people, "what the…"

I stopped just short of where they stood. Every one of my friends were stood with their bags, looking at me.

I was silent.

"What the…." I literally couldn't say anything else; I was so confused.

What were they doing?

I edged my way forward till I was just in front of them and stood there.

I looked at my friends, they all had serious expressions on their faces, like they had a point to make.

"What are you guys doing here," I said, trying to put on a hard persona. I didn't want them to know that I was struggling with my decision to leave.

It now made sense why I saw no one this morning, they were all here instead.

From behind Zane, Amalie appeared and stepped forward, "Jaden," she said rather quietly, "what are you doing?"

She put an emphasis on the 'doing', almost counteracting my question.

I looked at her and smiled. I had no reason to be mad at her, no reason at all.

But I had to be truthful with her, I had to keep up my hard exterior.

"Amalie, I'm going home," I said. I think it sounded like I was trying to convince myself at this point.

I tried to put a smile on, almost as a goodbye, but it wasn't really working. I tried to step past Amalie, but she stepped in my way.

"I don't think you understand, if you go home," she turned to face everyone else and they all nodded, "we all go home."

I was shocked, "wait what."

Amalie picked up her bag and took a few steps back to fall into line.

One by one people started to step forward.

"Jaden," Syrus said stepping forward first, "if you don't stay it won't be the same."

Next was Hassleberry, "we don't want you to go sarge, we'll come with you if you do go."

Chumley was next, "yeah, I've not come all this way for you to go home early mate, I want to have a drink with you."

I smiled, even if I did stay, I definitely wasn't having another drink.

Next Chazz and Blair stepped forward, I knew how these two felt, I'd clearly heard them last night and I didn't really want to listen to them, but I guess if it was sincere enough.

"Jaden, we know what we said was wrong, I think it was just because we missed you so much, just don't go again okay," Chazz said.

I wasn't going to say anything but I'm sure I saw him well up a little.

It definitely sounded like he meant it.

Blair just looked at me and nodded.

Axel, Jim and Aster all stepped forward and told me that they would come with me to New Domino if I left, which I thought was actually quite flattering.

I could feel myself, getting a bit more emotional each time someone new stepped forward.

"Jaden," Bastion said, "there is no us without you, you can't leave yet."

Next forward was Atticus, I wasn't expecting him to be here.

I was sure he was meant to be helping to set everything up, so him being here was nice that's for sure.

"Jaden, please don't go," he said, "look Alexis told me what you said."

I stopped for a second. He knew. He knew what I had said two years ago to Alexis in almost this exact spot.

Atticus smiled at me, stepped all the way forward and placed a hand on my shoulder, "sometimes we all say things we don't mean huh."

I smiled at him. He was forgiving me but also telling me to forgive them.

"Just don't leave yet," he said stepping to stand beside me.

I'd hadn't realised until now that everyone who had already spoken, except Amalie, had how come to stand beside me.

The other four left, Zane, Amalie, Jesse and Alexis, all stepped forward together.

"Jaden, what we're trying to say is," Zane said, "you're one of us and even if you leave now, we're not going to stop being your friend."

"We've only just got you back mate, don't leave just yet, I've still got so much to share with you, I need my best friend here," Jesse said, him and Zane both coming to stand beside me.

"And I would be a fool to let you leave before you got a chance to enjoy this reunion," Amalie said, coming to stand by my side.

Finally, Alexis was the only person left.

She took a couple of steps forward until she was right in front of me.

I could feel the heat on my cheeks, as she stood there.

She smelt of peaches. I'd never noticed before.

Wait, what!

I regained some composure quickly, I was losing my mind, I was sure of it.

Alexis looked at me in the eyes and smiled, "we all know we did wrong," she said looking at everyone else.

They all nodded and smiled.

"But, I'll be dammed, Jaden Yuki, if I let you walk onto that boat, it was hard the first time seeing you leave, but none of us are willing to let you go again, especially me," she said taking the other side of me.

I felt my heart race when she said 'especially me'.

Yep, I was definitely going crazy.

Alexis came to stand beside me, and I felt our hands brush. A jolt of electricity went through my body which felt weird, that had never happened up until now.

For goodness sake, what was she doing to me?

I took a couple of steps out so I could face my friends again, who were all lined up.

It was all very overwhelming. They had come all the out here, to stop me from leaving.

What friend would I be to leave now?

How could I leave them all after this?

Syrus and Jesse both took a step forward and looked at each other nodding.

"Plus Jaden, this isn't all about the reunion," Syrus said, smiling.

"Yeah bud, if you leave now, you won't get to celebrate the fact that me and Syrus are moving to New Domino City permanently," Jesse said, getting a cheesy grin appear on his face.

I stood stunned.

"Wait, you guys are…."

Jesse nodded and smiled.

I couldn't believe it, Syrus and Jesse, two of my closest friends are moving to New Domino City.

The city I lived in.

The would be right there.

I looked at everyone they were now smiling.

Honestly, how could I leave now.

But, maybe I could play a prank, I mean they did deserve some payback.

I picked up my bag around turned around starting to walk towards the docks/

"Jaden," Alexis said, trying to get my attention.

I could tell she was panicking now.

I quickly changed directions and looked at them all, "what," I said, trying not to burst out laughing, I put on my brightest smile, "don't we have a reunion to go and get ready for?"

* * *

_**Amalie's POV**_

I must say Alexis's idea was brilliant. I wasn't sure that it would work but it was brilliant.

Imagine, getting everyone to go down to the docks and apologise to Jaden with most of their bags packed, genius!

It was hard trying to convince everyone to join in at first, though.

Well, when I say everyone, I mean that Chazz guy and his girlfriend.

I mean, I wasn't sure if she was his girlfriend, but it did look like it from where I was standing.

We'd all just made our way past the Ra Yellow dorm, heading back to the Obelisk Blue accommodation before Jaden came to walk beside me.

I guess I had been expecting him to come and talk to me at some point.

"Hey," he said, sounding tentative.

"Yes, Jaden, you are a dunderhead for trying to leave but I forgive you," I said, trying to play it cool.

I can't say, I wasn't worried, when he started walking towards the docks after everyone had spilled their guts to him, I thought he was going for good. I guess, even in a tense situation, Jaden still loves a joke.

Jaden chuckled beside me, "ahh, Amalie, of course I can trust you to get straight to the point in an awkward situation."

I skipped just ahead of him, put my hands under my chin and tried to make a cute face.

It seemed to work because Jaden laughed even harder.

A few others laughed at my antics before I fell back in line with my friend.

"Honestly, though Amalie," Jaden said, suddenly getting serious again, "thank you for doing that."

I looked at Jaden and then towards Alexis.

"I mean, I'd love to take the credit, but it was her idea," I said pointing at Alexis.

Jaden looked at Alexis before looking at me.

A number of emotions came over him and I could tell he wanted to go say thank you to her.

"Oh, okay, umm, I'll talk to you later," he said before jogging off to catch up with Alexis.

I watched as they chatted and laughed with each other.

Things between them had already changed so quickly in a day but, I suppose, I'd never seen what they were like before this weekend.

There was something though, a spark between them.

It was this weird chemistry; I couldn't put my finger on it, but I could definitely see it.

We made our way back up to the Obelisk Dorm and everyone separated to go and get ready.

At dinner last night, me and Alexis had agreed to get ready together.

We'd asked Juniper but she wanted to stay with Bastion, which we thought was fair enough considering he was her boyfriend.

She'd stayed up at the room whilst we went to get Jaden.

Bastion had said that she wanted to start doing her hair or something like that, but I just think she wanted to avoid the awkward conversation.

I walked with Alexis and Jaden towards their rooms.

"Oi, Wise," Jaden said, interrupting his conversation with Alexis, "you know your room is that way."

I looked at him and smiled, "yes, Yuki, I'm well aware, however, Alexis is coming to get ready in my room and I said I'd help her carry her stuff, why did you want to spend some alone time together?"

Jaden went red in the face with embarrassment at my comment and he quickly said his goodbyes before heading into his room to get ready.

We went into Alexis's room where she gave me some of her stuff to carry and then grabbed her dress before we left for my room.

We walked alongside each other down the hallway and I could tell that Alexis had something to say.

"Thanks, Amalie," she said, "I know you told Jaden it was my idea, the thing at the docks, but it was really our idea."

I looked at my new friend, she had a little blush on her face.

"Ahh, it's okay," I said.

It really was her idea, so why was she embarrassed by it.

It was definitely to do with Jaden thanking her. I was sure of it.

What was up with these two?

We made our way to my room and Alexis went to shower. I told her she could use all my stuff because well, I had so much spare that, she could pretty much use what she wanted in there and I'd still have enough stuff left to last me another two years.

I sat on my bed waiting for her to finish. I'm not going to lie; she was taking a while.

I leaned over and looked at the pile of pictures that were by the side of my bed.

I'd taken a load of pictures of Jaden and his friend whilst I was here.

I was going to give them the pictures as a thank you for making me feel so welcome but they had kind of become a memory of sorts for me as well.

I flicked through some of the pictures until I found some of Alexis and Jaden.

I still couldn't work out what was going on between them but decided to see if these gave me any clue.

As I looked through the pictures of them something caught my eye.

Alexis's facial expression every time she was talking to Jaden, it was as though she was looking at her crus….

Just then Alexis reappeared from the shower, "hey, your shower is way better than mine, mine isn't as…. oh, hey what are you looking at," she said coming to sit next to me.

I wasn't really listening; I was flicking through pictures of her and Jaden.

The facial expression is the same in every single one.

"Oh, wow," she said, picking up the ones that I had already looked at, "did you take these?"

I nodded at her.

"Yeah, I've been taking them over the weekend, as like a reminder for myself but a gift for all of you as well," I said.

I held out the pictures of her and Jaden, "I got these of you and Jaden as well."

I handed them to Alexis who looked at them, she started to go red in the cheeks and I smiled.

It all started to make sense. The way she acted around him. The way she stuck up for him. Why she didn't want him to leave the island.

Alexis Rhodes had the hots for Jaden Yuki.

I watched as she flicked through the photos. Her eyes lingered on some more than others, which I guessed were the ones of her and Jaden.

"Alexis," I said interrupting her train of thought.

She looked up at me and smiled, "yeah?"

I smiled at her, she was so oblivious, "do you have a crush on Jaden?"

If you picture, a deer in headlights, that was the look on Alexis's face after I had asked her my question.

I'm pretty sure she started to sweat as she stuttered out a response, "what… don't be… no…. of course I don't have a crush on Jaden."

"Okay, Alexis, if you say so," I said back to her, with a huge smirk.

She looked at me very confused and put the pictures down on the bed before going to the mirror to do her makeup.

I was 99% sure at this point she was trying to convince herself that she didn't like him, but I let her off.

As I got up to go and get ready for the reunion, I smiled to myself, thinking about her reaction when she realises that she does like Jaden Yuki.

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

I pulled on my dress as we walked the final few steps towards the ballroom.

I'd gone for simple blue dress, the same shade of blue my obelisk uniform was when I was a student here. I just thought it was fitting for an event like this.

Amalie had gone for an orange dress. It was simple but she did look really good.

We were running slightly late to the reunion and it was my fault.

It wasn't my intention to make us late. Amalie's question had just completely thrown me off.

Did I like Jaden Yuki?

No, course not.

But every time I tried to convince myself it wasn't true, something hurt inside.

I'd never really thought about it until this point. I'd only ever seen him as a friend.

And that's what he was: A friend.

Nothing more.

I pushed all of these thoughts out of my mind as we arrived at the ballroom.

"Wow," Amalie said from beside me.

This was definitely the first time I had ever seen her speechless.

"I know right," I said, making my way down the small set of stairs that into the room.

The room was decorated with bright lights, streamers and different floating duel monster balloons.

There was a stage and a dancefloor, several different bars as well as hundreds of tables.

We'd all been allocated a table. Our group had been put right at the front.

I was convinced that it was Atticus's idea, but I wasn't going to have a go at him for it.

We skimmed the crowd and finally located the table that all of our friends were sitting at.

As we made our way over to the table, everyone shifted around to look at us.

A few stood up to greet us, but I couldn't help but look at Jaden.

He had a grey suit on, with a red tie and a tiny little slifer encrusted into the end of the tie. His hair was still as messy as ever, but he looked smart, something that I wasn't used to.

I greeted a few others before Jaden came over, "if you had worn any other colour but blue, it wouldn't have been right," he said smiling at me.

He pulled me in for a hug and I felt a smile broaden on my face.

"Well, Jaden, I see that red couldn't escape the weekend forever," I said pointing at his tie once we separated from the hug.

"Of course," he laughed out, playing with his tie, "I would never come all the way back to Duel Academy Island without paying homage to the Slifer Dorm."

I looked at him.

However much Jaden had grown up and changed, he was just the same old Jaden.

"Alexis," Jaden said, I realised I must have been caught up in my thoughts, "do you want to go get a drink?"

I looked at him and nodded.

After the morning I'd had, I was looking forward to having a drink.

We made our way over to the bar and he ordered us something.

Whilst he ordered I looked at him.

I was glad that he had decided to stay in the end. It just wouldn't have been the same without him. I would have been miserable. Everyone would have been miserable.

He was like the glue that brought us all together, but he could easily undo everything as well.

He handed me my drink and we made our way back to the table.

Everyone sat and chatted for a while. I could tell everyone was started to drink a little because people were starting to dance to some of the background music. I'm even sure I caught Atticus attempting to do the worm as he made his way back from the toilet.

After a while, Chancellor Sheppard got up on stage and made a quick speech about how nice it was to have everyone back together in one place.

I looked around the table. He was right. Never in a million years did I think that everyone would be back together like this, celebrating. It had certainly been a long time since we had all celebrated together like this.

Once all the speeches had finished, Miss Dorothy and her team brought out all the food and everyone tucked in.

As usual, she had done an exceptional job of cooking all the food. I mean, clearly all the boys thought so, having gone up for more than their fair share.

We all finished our food and chatted for a while. I overheard Jesse and Syrus talking about their new apartment and it got me thinking.

During this whole weekend, there had been an underlying question of what I wanted to do after all this was over.

As I looked at my friends it became clearer to me what I needed to do, what I wanted to do.

Once all the plates had been cleared, I looked around the room, people were happy.

I was happy.

For the first time in a long time, I felt at home.

Not long after the music started playing and everyone went up to dance.

I hadn't really thought about all the dancing, I'd been so consumed with my thoughts that it hadn't occurred to me there would be dancing at some point during the night.

Amalie and Juniper came over with a mischievous look on their faces.

"Alexis," Amalie said, trying to put on some form of puppy dog eyes, "come dance with us."

I looked at them, one thing I did not do was dance. Not even by myself. I was rubbish at it.

"I don't dance girls, but you two can go up there," I said resting back in my seat, drink in hand.

They both looked at each other and smiled before grabbing one of my arms each and pulling me up to the dance floor.

Now, for how organised of a person I was, I was an incredibly uncoordinated dancer. But just for tonight, I would let my hair down, just this once.

For the remainder of the evening, I switched between dancing, ordering drinks from the bar and just casually chatting to people.

I'd had several requests to dance with people, but I didn't really want too.

There wasn't a reason, I just didn't fancy it.

It didn't feel right.

All of a sudden, the DJ behind the booth, picked up his microphone, "right everybody, it's the last song of the night, so grab yourself a partner and come on down."

I looked at our table, I realised that most had already partnered up and headed for the dancefloor, the only people left sitting were Jaden and Bastion.

Juniper came up beside me, "I got Bastion, you take Jaden?"

I looked at her confused.

She smiled at me, "I mean, I'll dance with Bastion and you dance with Jaden."

I looked at her shocked.

Wait, she wanted me to dance with Jaden.

She pulled me up out of my chair as the song came on.

It was slow.

Of course, it had to be slow.

It couldn't have been a jive or something.

We reached the guys and Juniper grabbed Bastion's hand, "come on, last song, you're with me."

Bastion moaned before getting to his feet and following his girlfriend to the dancefloor, leaving just me and Jaden.

"So," he said, looking rather awkward.

I quickly sat down in the seat next to him. Maybe that would mean we didn't have to dance.

"So," I said back turning to face him.

I'd never had an awkward conversation with Jaden in my life, I couldn't believe it, why was everything so awkward all of a sudden?

Jaden rose up to stand in front of me, holding out his hand, "I know I agreed no dancing yesterday, but it's the last song and I don't want you to feel left out."

I looked at him.

Was he…? Was he asking me to dance?

I slowly rose to my feet.

There was no harm in two friends dancing.

To a slow song.

At a school reunion.

Right?

I took his hand and he guided me towards to the dancefloor.

I blushed as people started to look at us. I caught the eyes of Amalie who was dancing with some guy and she just winked at me, making me blush even more.

Jaden took us to the middle of the dancefloor before spinning to face me, "I'll have you know," he said, stepping closer to me, "my mum has been training me for these moments my whole life."

I smiled, I'd never really pictured his family, mainly because we never spoke about it, but I could imagine a young Jaden dancing around the living room with his mum.

"Well," I said back to him, "I'm hopeless at dancing."

He smiled at me, "well, just follow my lead."

He placed both my hands on his shoulders before putting his own on my hips.

I felt heat surge through my body as he did so, but this time I wasn't worried.

Heck, I've been fighting it all weekend, I was due a break, wasn't I.

He slowly guided me around the dancefloor, being careful not to step on my toes.

I met him in the eyes, and he smiled.

I liked the way he smiled, it was a good smile.

I smiled back as I felt another warm feeling grow inside me.

I made my hands meet around the back of his neck, just getting a little closer to him.

He smiled at me again, "you know, I never got a chance to tell you earlier, you look really good tonight."

My heart felt like it was doing flips as he had turned us in another direction.

Jaden Yuki had just told me he thought I looked nice.

But the biggest revelation was that I really liked it when he said it. I didn't make me feel weird. It felt right coming from him.

My mind suddenly trailed back to what Amalie had asked me earlier; _'do you have a crush on Jaden?'_

I wasn't really able to answer the question then because it came out of nowhere but now when I thought about, all the strange feelings I'd had around Jaden, it all made sense now.

These feelings, they'd all felt exactly the same. Whenever I was with him, I felt good, like I never wanted it to end.

I didn't ever want him to go, to be by my side at all times, I knew it, I'd just been trying to convince myself that it wasn't the case but it was too obvious, too clear.

But I couldn't deny it anymore, being in this moment with him I knew…

I loved Jaden Yuki.

I paused for a moment and Jaden looked concerned. I quickly smiled and continued dancing, trying not to concern him.

I couldn't believe it; I had a crush on Jaden Yuki.

The question was, did he like me as well?

The thought that he didn't made me suddenly feel very hollow.

Oh no, I can't be doing with this.

I can't be getting worked up over a boy.

Even if it was Jaden.

Just as the song was ending, Jaden snapped me out of my thoughts, "what you are thinking about?"

I hadn't realised but I had just been dancing with him without saying anything.

Great good job Alexis, you just work out you like someone who you're slow dancing with and you completely ignore them for the whole song.

I looked at him and smiled.

I knew I couldn't tell him what I was thinking about, I needed to time to process my newly found feelings.

But I mean, I couldn't not answer his question, that would just be rude.

So, I said the first thing that came into my head…

"Jaden, I'm moving to New Domino City."

* * *

**Woah okay, I thought the last one went on ;)**

**There you have it folks, there was your reunion.**

**I really hope you liked it, I took a lot of time over everything and went back through to check several times, hence why it took so long to upload.**

**There was so many different points in there, but I won't go over them all, I'll just say….**

**That ending ;)**

**Anyway, I'm not sure when the next update will be because this one took a lot out of me, so I'll get the cogs turning for the next part of the story and update as soon as I can.**

**Until then, favourite and review for updates and I'll speak to you all soon.**

**Writey x**


	12. Moving In

**Right, welcome back everyone, hope you are all well.**

**I suppose you could call this phase two of the story after events in the last chapter.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the reunion, but it's time to move forward into the next part of the story.**

**Favourite and Follow if you want those updates but let's get going.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

I laid on my bed staring at the ceiling just thinking, it had been a while since I could just sit back and think.

It had been a couple of days since I had arrived back from the reunion at Duel Academy and it was safe to say that whilst I was there, loads happened of stuff happened that I wasn't expecting.

Don't get me wrong, I was expecting some kind of drama but not quite to the extent that it seemed to unfold over the course of the weekend.

I mean all the apologies, I felt like everyone was saying sorry for something. In the end, I'm just glad everyone managed to sort everything out.

It wouldn't have been great if everyone had left on bad terms, I don't know what I would have done but I definitely wouldn't have liked it.

I suppose everyone didn't really have any differences in the end. It was more a lack of communication but still, everyone had been talking since the reunion about all sorts of things we are going to do together as a group.

It doesn't bother me.

I'm just glad to have my friends back.

I picked up my phone from beside my bed and flicked through some social media.

Atticus had been adding people to loads of different events, trying to plan stuff.

Somehow, I'd been roped into hosting a big BBQ in a few weeks' time and to be honest with you I wasn't entirely sure how it had happened.

I'm pretty sure Atticus had mentioned it to the others and said that I should host.

He said something about Alexis too, but I was too busy trying to argue the fact that I had to host.

It wasn't that I didn't want to host, I just knew my family would want to be there as well.

My parents had agreed to do the BBQ. My mum was just excited to meet my friends and I knew that dad wanted to have a duel with a few of them, hence why they had agreed to do it.

I think ever since the Duel we went to as a family he had been more invested in his own duelling as well. I mean, he basically wants to duel my mum every day when he gets home from work.

They had a duel last week and mum won. I don't think he was happy with losing which is probably why he keeps nagging her to duel him.

If I know my mum, she won't duel him for a while.

Bragging rights and all that.

I clambered off my bed and headed downstairs.

My family had only arrived back from their weekend trip away yesterday so there was stuff all over the place.

I made my way down into the living room, dodging suitcases and shoes as I went, before I sat down on the sofa.

I hadn't really had much time to myself recently, so it was nice to relax before I went back to work again.

Today I was helping Jesse, Syrus and Alexis move into their new house.

Well, when I say house, I really mean a flat. I hadn't actually seen it yet but according to Syrus, it was like a 'bachelor pad.'

I told him it probably wasn't the best to tell Alexis that before she moved in when he phoned me yesterday.

I didn't have to get to their place until 2 so I had about an hour or so before I was due to leave.

A smile crept onto my face when I thought about the fact that my friends were going to be moving into New Domino City.

They were only going to be about a ten-minute walk away from my house which to me seemed ideal. They hadn't actually moved in properly yet which was why they had asked me to help. It was mainly Alexis's stuff that had been shipped in this morning.

Apparently, she had store it away after Duel Academy in case she decided to settle down.

I felt the sofa dip beside me and then instantly a mop of brown and blonde hair crashed into my face.

"Woah," I said, grabbing hold of my little sister, "I know I was gone at the weekend Tess, but there is no need to ambush me."

She looked up at me and smiled.

If I was being honest with you, I'd say I have a better relationship with my brother than my sister.

I mean, before Duel Academy I had spent loads of time with Josh, seen him grow up, that kind of thing.

But with Tess, I missed her being born.

It may not sound a lot, but I was there for Josh's birth. It was special.

I doesn't mean I loved her any less far from it in truth, I'm probably more protective over her. It's just after Duel Academy I went straight into working at the bakery, so I never really got to spend much time with her.

I think it's part of the reason I wanted to come home after Duel Academy, to spend more time with her.

I felt like I missed out, like, I feel I need to catch up.

Tess rolled back over onto the sofa and put the TV on.

She has this one show she loves to watch so much, it about these talking birds, I don't know, it never makes any sense to me, but I like to watch it with her because it makes her happy.

I felt her snuggle into my side as the show started. I was sure she would fall asleep in a matter of minutes but I wasn't going to complain.

I knew I couldn't fall asleep. I could not be late today, I had promised Syrus that I would be on time.

Just as my sister drifted off to sleep my mum came to sit on the other side of me.

She had been out in the garden, sorting something with the duelling system, apparently there was some fault or something that had come up when her and Josh had duelled before they went away, and she wanted to fix it.

She put her mug of tea on the table in front of us and rested her head on my shoulder, "you know Jaden," she said, looking at the two birds dancing around a lamppost signing on the TV, "I really don't understand this show, why are there two birds?"

I chuckled quietly, trying not to wake my sister, "I know what you mean mum, I just watch it with Tess."

Mum nodded, "however," she said stretching out to grab the tv remote, "she is now asleep therefore I have television power."

Television power was what we called being able to decide what we watch.

When we were younger Josh and I used to argue about what to put on the tele, so mum and dad created television power and gave us set times we could watch what we wanted.

It was always Tess's during the day but once she fell asleep, mum would always take over from her, that was the rule.

Mum flicked through a few channels before putting on some cooking show, it was all she ever watched, and rested her head back on my shoulder.

After a while I thought she had fallen asleep as well. I could feel here soft breathing and I was sure her eyes were closed.

I reached out to grab the television remote, but a hand shot out to stop me, "nuh uh Jay, it's my turn."

I sunk back into the chair; I must remember to make a rule about me having television power if everyone falls asleep.

"Jaden," my mother said startling me. She sat back up so she could have a drink of her cup of tea.

"Not that I'm in a rush for you to find one or anything, but, when are you going to find a girl?"

I suddenly sat bolt upright, waking my little sister.

Mum rolled her eyes and handed her back the TV remote to Tess so that she would stop crying.

I looked at her watching as the two birds reappeared back on the screen.

Where did that come?

She'd never been bothered about me having a girlfriend before.

As if she read my mind, "it's not bad that you don't have one, I just wondered whether you already did, you've had a spring in your step ever since you got back from your reunion."

"No, mum," I said, trying to get my words out, "I don't have a girlfriend or anything."

"Hmm," she said, as if she were studying me, "okay."

She put her cup of tea down and moved herself back into the position she was originally in.

I watched her for a second.

Thinking about it, I had been in a better mood since the reunion, but I hadn't realised that it was that noticeable.

It definitely wasn't that I had a girlfriend; I knew that for sure.

I hadn't had a girlfriend in years.

However, when I think about it, maybe having a girlfriend wouldn't be such a bad thing.

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

The car rolled to a stop outside my new home.

Wow, that was weird to say.

'My home.'

I'd never thought about having my own place until very recently, I guess I'd been so busy trying to discover myself that I'd actually not thought about the future.

Jesse hopped out of the driver's seat and Syrus the passenger.

Apparently, there was a thing called shotgun and Syrus had already called it.

I had no idea.

I looked at our flat. I had only seen pictures of it but they were certainly accurate.

When I say we had a flat, it was more like a house, but it was like we were living in separate flats within a shared house.

I called it a house flat, but it was very confusing.

I had the upper floor, whilst Jesse and Syrus shared the bottom floor.

They'd decided it would be easier to put me on the top floor.

I think they just decided the boy, girl split was better.

I didn't really mind; I got the privacy I wanted whilst still being able to live with people.

I looked at the front door and my heart skipped a beat.

Stood at the door, looking even better than I had remembered from the weekend, was my newly discovered crush.

"Jaden," Jesse shouted, running over to his friend.

Jaden stopped pressing the buzzer to the house flat and swivelled to face us.

"Oh, there you are, I was beginning to wonder if I had gotten the wrong day," he said, giving Jesse a fist bump.

To be fair to Jaden, we were running slightly late from the airport.

After the reunion, I had decided that I would quickly go home and tell my family about my decision. They, as I expected, were very supportive. After Duel Academy, they had wanted me to return home or move to New Domino but instead I went travelling and barely talked to them.

We weren't on bad terms; I just didn't want to have to live up to their expectations my whole life.

Jaden made his way over to us, and I felt my cheeks get hotter.

It hadn't been until the end of the reunion that I realised just how much I liked him.

When we parted ways, I felt this missing piece inside me, and I knew it was because he had gone.

He gave Syrus a fist pump before making his way round the car towards me.

"Ahh there she is," he said, putting his arm around me to give little hug, "the new queen of the house has arrived."

As he let go, I felt like my insides were about to explode.

Right, Alexis, get a grip, you can't act like this every time you're around him.

From the corner of my eye I could tell Syrus and Jesse both had huge wide grins, so I glared at them.

I had made the mistake of telling a few people about my feelings towards Jaden, including my new roommates, which I'd instantly regretted after they started calling me Mrs Yuki.

I also told Amalie and Atticus. Amalie was happy for me and Atticus had just said, 'yes, now who did I make that bet with.'

Apparently, Atticus had always thought I had underlying feelings for Jaden and made some bets on it.

"So," Jaden said, snapping me from my thoughts, "where is all this stuff to move?"

Part of the reason I'd gone home was to pick up the stuff that I had stored away whilst on my travels, we had organised a big U-HAUL to drive it all the way here from my house.

"It was meant to arrive at 2," Syrus said, looking at his watch, "guess it's running late."

"Why don't we go inside and have a look around," Jesse said.

I nodded. I'd been looking forward to actually getting inside the house flat to have a proper look around.

We went inside and I made my way up to the top floor. It was definitely everything I was expecting.

There was a small corridor leading to my room, with a visitor bathroom halfway up the hallway.

There were a few pictures on the walls of the hallway and a plant pot on a wooden cupboard opposite the door to the bathroom.

My bedroom was at the far end of the bathroom, there was also a guest bedroom as well.

My bedroom had a en-suite which meant the communal bathroom probably wouldn't be used a lot.

As I stepped inside the door of my bedroom, I realised there was a larger door just to the right of the room.

I felt a presence behind me trying to get a peak inside.

"Oh wow," Jaden said from behind me, I sidestepped into the room to let him come in further, "is that a walk-in wardrobe?"

I looked at him and nodded.

Jesse and Syrus had given me the room with the walk-in wardrobe because apparently I had the most stuff. I had tried to tell them not too, but they had insisted that it was the best thing to do.

I was pretty sure Jesse had wanted this room but Syrus had told him he wasn't allowed it.

My room was actually quite simple. I didn't really want a lot of stuff in it.

As much as I liked the thought of having a home and being settled, the prospect of having no space isn't for me, so that's why I've tried to keep the room as simple as possible.

I quickly surveyed the room, most of my stuff I'd had delivered early was already here, Jesse and Syrus had sorted it for me before I arrived, and it was pretty much covering the entire of the floor.

Jaden came back out of the wardrobe and had a look around, "well Lex," he said with a cheeky grin, "looks like you've got a lot of sorting to do."

I felt my cheeks go red, "I…. err…."

Man, I really need to stop being a ball of nerves around Jaden, it's getting too much.

Jaden walked over to me looking concerned, "hey are you okay, you've gone red."

He placed his hand on my forehead and I shuddered under his touch. His eyes met mine and I could feel the heat rise on my face.

"No," I said in a quiet voice, "I'm okay."

"Oh okay…" Jaden replied.

He slowly moved his hand down onto my cheek, our eyes not shifting from each other's gaze.

Jaden's eyes had this wanting as his hand moved down the side of my face.

OMG! OMG! WHAT IS HAPPENING!

Every fibre of my body was going into meltdown.

Suddenly the door burst open and Jaden lost the wanting look.

Instead, I could see complete confusion.

"Hey guys," Jesse said, opening the door backwards, "the trucks arrived, here's the first box."

Jesse stepped inside and placed the box next to the other stuff.

Jaden, who I'm pretty sure was also red in the face, quickly looked away from me and at Jesse.

"Oh sweet," he said, "I'll be right down."

Jaden darted out of the room and made his way down the stairs.

Jesse looked at me, very confused, "did I…. interrupt something?"

I just shook my head, I had to lie at this point, "no, we were just looking round my room."

Jesse smiled and headed back down towards the truck.

He probably knew I wasn't telling the truth but I'm glad he didn't say anymore.

As soon as he left, I collapsed back onto my bed throwing my hands over my face.

My heart started beating very fast.

What was that look from Jaden?

Was he going to…?

No surely not….

Then, I pictured the instant confusion on Jaden's face and screamed.

Ugh, boys.

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Well, that didn't go according to plan.

I was only meant to go and have a look at Alexis's room.

I don't even know what came over me.

Her skin was so soft.

I felt a warmth on my hand, and I shook my head.

Alexis is my friend….

Just like you had said at the reunion.

Just friends, no more.

But then what was that?

Whatever it was, it was incredibly embarrassing.

God, what does Alexis think?

"Well, Jaden," DK said, "my guess would be that she probably thinks you're a bit weird."

I looked round and glared at my floating acquaintance, "Thanks DK, just what I wanted to hear."

DK was hovering over me, carrying what looked to be a box he had conjured up for himself to carry as well.

I put the last box of Alexis's things down and started to head downstairs.

The conversation I had with my mum earlier kept running around in my head.

Ever since the weekend, I'd kept thinking back to my dance with Alexis and everything seemed to be perfect in that moment on the dancefloor.

It felt so…

Right.

But it was so confusing, I didn't understand.

I mean the dance had been amazing.

I must say she looked amazing. I'd never looked at her like that before, but she was beautiful, and I couldn't keep my eyes off her the whole night.

Like, I've never ever had these feelings about her before, about anyone in fact.

So why now? What's changed? Why am I getting these feelings? What are they?

I had so many questions.

I made my way downstairs and into the living room where the others were sat watching TV.

I looked at the spare seats.

There was one single chair over in the corner of the room and the other one was next to Alexis on the sofa.

I quickly went across to the single chair and sat myself down.

It wasn't that I was trying to avoid Alexis.

Oh, who am I kidding, I definitely was avoiding her.

I was so embarrassed about what had happened upstairs that I couldn't even face her.

Plus, I was very confused about these feelings and didn't want to do anything else stupid.

I'd only just got my friend back and then I went and pulled a stunt like that.

I didn't even know, what that stunt was, where it was going.

What was I thinking?

All I know is, it was very embarrassing and it's not happening again.

I looked at the television.

Jesse had put the news on.

The current story was from the hotel Stoichiev had gone missing from about a week ago.

The reporter in it looked familiar, I'm sure he was the one that had covered the Stoichiev news story, "hey Jesse, can you turn it up the TV just a bit?"

Jesse looked up from his phone, grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

The reporter talked for a while longer, and then they flashed some pictures up.

Suddenly, I realised what I was looking at….

"Impossible…." Syrus said from beside me.

I had to agree with him, it couldn't be the case, there was no way.

He wasn't that old, but in those pictures….

"What's going on…." Alexis said, me and Syrus just sat in silence, staring at the television.

We both listened closely to the TV report in utter disbelief.

"…_.. yes, this story is very peculiar, he turned up out of the blue. But the biggest mystery, why did Victor Stoichiev turn up here a week later, almost 15 years older…"_

* * *

**There's your chapter, folks.**

**I hope you all enjoyed it, I'm sure it'll leave you all with plenty of questions.**

**But they will be solved in due course, I promise.**

**Again, I don't want to put a time scale on the next chapter, but it will arrive as soon as possible.**

**Follow and Favourite for updates.**

**Until next time,**

**Writey x**


	13. A Whole Host Of Jobs

**Welcome back everyone, it's been a long time.**

**Well, a long time in terms of this story.**

**I'm juggling multiple different things at the moment, so I won't be uploading as regularly.**

**I'll still upload, there is a whole mapped out plan so, never fear, the story will finish.**

**What did you all think of the ending last time out?**

**Time to find out where we go from there.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

15 years older…

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it.

I've been watching and replaying it over and over again in my head for the past few days…

'_Over to our reporter Thomas Smith who has some breaking news,' said the TV news Presenter._

'_Thanks, Susy, yes I'm here at the Le'Duprah Hotel, where in the last hour or so it has been confirmed that Victor Stoichiev suddenly resurfaced, in his hotel room, late last night, after going missing almost exactly a week ago.'_

'_Wow Tom, that is some very strange news, any idea what happened to Mr Stoichiev?'_

'_Yes, this story is very peculiar, he turned up out of the blue. But the biggest mystery, why did Victor Stoichiev turn up here a week later, almost 15 years older. There is no logical answer as to why Mr Stoichiev disappeared and reappeared just like that, but there are detectives working on the case.'_

'_Have you managed to speak to Mr Stoichiev?'_

'_That's the thing Susy, no one has heard from Mr Stoichiev since the news broke, a cleaner saw him leave the hotel in the early hours of the morning but since then he has contacted nobody. The police are trying to contact him to find out more but currently with no luck. If anyone has heard from or spoken to Mr Stoichiev then please get in contact with the New Domino PD and our news station.'_

Stoichiev had disappeared for over a week, and then in the same evening he had resurfaced, he then disappears again.

None of it added up.

Why did he disappear for a week?

And then, why would he going into hiding, when everyone was trying to help him?

I didn't like it. Something didn't add up. He was in a very good mood when he left the duel against Zane the same evening he disappeared.

Maybe he just went and celebrated privately for a while.

All I know is something inside me doesn't feel right about it all.

"Hey doofus, are you purposely ignoring me?"

I snapped out of my own thoughts and looked around. I was up on a ladder trying to organise some of Solomon's older, more rare cards. Amalie was below, holding out a box that contained the cards we had already sorted.

I had woken up this morning with a day off.

I had returned back to the bakery yesterday, with my time off finally running out.

But Amalie had phoned me this morning saying that Solomon and Monty were struggling to meet tomorrows deadline of moving everything out.

Since arriving back at the weekend, I'd been popping by every minute I could to help them, packing boxes, moving heavy objects, everything I could to help them try and meet the deadline for when they would have to vacate the shop.

If they didn't find a buyer before the deadline, there would be a huge charge from the bank, which was why we had tried to speed up the process by clearing it as quickly as possible.

It wasn't that nobody wanted to buy the property, far from it in truth, there had been loads of interest.

It's just… Solomon had been… how do you say it… extremely picky with a few potential buyers.

He wasn't being mean or anything, he was just doing everything he could to put them off buying the shop.

He would start talking about all the work that needed doing.

Saying extremely high prices whilst they viewed was a regular tactic of his.

Trying to keep the place smelling bad, he'd tried that several times.

My favourite was when he would tell people the place was haunted. The look on their faces after, they genuinely acted as if they couldn't get out any quicker.

If you ask me, I think he was being picky to spite the bank. Trying everything he could so the bank would give up. It was never going to happen; they'll get the place eventually. Even Solomon knows that.

He was also being a nightmare for De'Angelo.

De'Angelo Rodriguez was the man the bank had sent to try and sort out negotiations between the two parties.

If you ask me De'Angelo is incredibly nice, I've met him a few times.

He definitely shouldn't be doing this job.

He is that kind of person you want to talk to all of the time and tell all of you biggest secrets too.

Everyone knows he's in the wrong job.

I actually think he does as well.

Me personally, I think he should be a hotdog man, he would be a great hotdog man.

Amalie said he would be a great hotel receptionist, but I didn't agree, he looks like he needs to be outdoors, selling hotdogs.

Solomon being picky and awkward was a real problem though

If he didn't sell the shop before the deadline, then he would get nothing, and I wasn't going to allow that to happen.

I had told him to consider the last people, a middle-aged couple who wanted to start a small café.

They were lovely, they seemed genuinely concerned for Solomon's well-being, heck, they even said Solomon would never have to pay when he visited their café, but he didn't seem keen.

It's not a surprise to me, he's put everything into this shop over the years and to see it just go, without even having a say, is pretty heart-breaking.

I snapped out of my second thought and stacked the cards I had collected into a neat pile before handing them to Amalie.

"To be honest with you Am," I said, grinning at her.

I had given her a nickname because her grandfather said she hated them which had made it all the more important to give her a nickname.

I handed her the cards, whilst she was glaring at me, "I purposely ignore you most of the time anyway."

She gave a little huff before snatching the cards from me, "HA, HA, very funny."

I smiled at her before turning back around to get some more cards.

"Seriously though Jaden, I thought you had work at 2, it's 2:15," she said, a hint of mischief in her voice, "wouldn't want you to get sacked or anything."

A sudden shock hit me, and I looked at my watch.

Dam you Amalie.

It was 2:15 and I was scheduled to start working at the bakery, 15 minutes ago.

It was bad enough that I was late and had forgotten about my shift, but I'd been so busy at the card shop recently that I had already had to lessen my hours at the bakery in order to help out here.

Lord, Mr Maloney wasn't going to be happy at all.

I bolted down the ladder, I packed all my things in the bag I had brought with me and headed for the door.

There was a new guy starting today as well.

What a good example I was setting.

Best part was, I was meant to be helping him learn what to do.

As I headed for the door, I suddenly realised that it would be quicker if Amalie drove me.

I spun around, only to be greeted by a grinning Amalie, twirling her keys around in her hand, "looking for me?"

I glared at her and she started to laugh, "oh how the tide has suddenly turned, Yuki."

"Amalie, please," I said, trying to rush her out the door, "can you gloat in the car, I'm already really late."

She smiled, eventually making her way outside, "okay but only if you bring back food with you tonight?"

I nodded quickly and we both got in the car.

The car journey was short, it was always short with Amalie.

I'm sure she was speeding almost all of the time.

I didn't like people who broke the speed limit, but today, I would make an exception.

We reached the shop in 15 minutes, which meant I was 30 minutes late.

I thanked Amalie, rushed in through the back door and put all my stuff away.

I had never seemed Mr Maloney mad before, but I was pretty sure all that was about to change as I made my way onto the shop floor.

The usual fresh smell of bread hit me in the face as I made my way behind the counter. The usual customers were sat either eating something or waiting around to collect an order.

I noticed that Mrs Norris was smiling at me from her seat just past the counter.

I hated when she did that, always watching me, knowing when I'm trying not to get noticed or in trouble, she always made it so obvious.

To be honest with you, it was always my fault I was late, I couldn't really blame anyone else.

It's not like Mrs Norris makes me forget the time or wake up late.

Nope, that was all me.

I felt the old lady rise from her seat and shuffle her way over to me, "Jaden, don't worry, I'll tell Henry you've been here the whole time."

I smiled at her, "thank you Mrs Norris, but I'm pretty sure he noticed that I wasn't here."

I'm pretty sure that if I was an old lady, I would be Mrs Norris.

She looked around, "to be honest with you, I think he could still be out back with the new employee."

She made her way back to her table and sat down.

That was true I hadn't seen him or the new employee since I had arrived.

In fact, I didn't even know the name of the new guy.

"That's true, let's just hope they stay back there," I said getting to work.

I started taking orders and gathering I needed, I was on my own, so I had to be as time effective as possible.

I was just about to hand out an order when I heard some footsteps behind me, "hi guys, my name is Jesse, can I take your order?"

I paused, dropping the bread roll I was sorting in disbelief.

No, it can't be.

I spun around to see Jesse, the Jesse, my best friend Jesse, covered in dough, with his uniform on serving a customer.

Jesse gathered the order and turned to face me, "oh hey Jaden, I wasn't sure whether you were showing or not."

What! Why was he acting so cool?

"Jesse, what is going on," I said, handing the order I was collecting to the customer that ordered it.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, "ahh Mr Yuki."

Oh no….

I turned around to face Mr Maloney, who strangely had a smile on his face.

"Come with me," he said, making his way towards the back where his office was situated.

Oh god, this is the end.

I untied my apron and followed Mr Maloney to his office.

As I walked, I passed a number of people all in the bakery uniform working the different stations, that I had never seen before.

"Who are all these people," I said following on behind Mr Maloney.

"There all new employees, I hired them all whilst you were gone."

I looked at them again. There must have been about four or five new staff and normally, we never had five people working at the same time.

We made our way into the office and Mr Maloney sat behind his desk, "so Jaden, how was your time off?"

I looked at him as if he had just told me pigs could fly.

He sat in silence for a second, twiddling his thumbs.

Well?

"Right… so…. yeah…. I should probably explain," he said, eventually giving in and taking out a folder from under his desk, "I have hired seven new staff since you were last here."

I looked at him.

Seven new staff.

"Righttttt…" I said, very confused.

I looked at him, either he was the worst person at telling me good news, or delaying the inevitable.

"Basically, I'm now well staffed, we've had an investment, an anonymous one, but it basically means that you don't need to work anymore, you can focus on other things," he said looking very guilty.

Was I getting fired? By my neighbour?

"I'm not firing you, I still want you to work, you're the most experience I have besides me, but I know that this isn't something you want to do forever, so I decided to tell you now, so you could go forward and achieve what you wanted too."

I looked at him and nodded.

So, I could still work here, just less.

I could look for other hobbies.

Find a new job.

He wasn't firing me.

But then it occurred to me…

"Are you sure Mr M?"

It wasn't that I didn't want to go but I'd been here with him ever since Fiala had passed away and it didn't feel right just leaving without his blessing.

"Jaden," Mr Maloney said, getting very serious, "you and Cam were here when I needed you the most, I have made it through that stage and now it is only fair to set you on your next journey, just like I did with Cam."

I looked at him.

I admired him so much, even with everything he's been through, he still puts everyone else first.

"So," he said, I could see a little tear in his eye, "I think you should head back to the card shop and help them there, I've got plenty of staff today, I'll talk to you more about working here if you want too but for now, I'm putting you on permanent leave."

And that was it.

There were no hard feelings as I made my way over to the card shop, Mr Maloney was right in a way, I did need to move forward, I had made a step in the right direction over the past few weeks and this was the final part.

Moving forward.

It wasn't long before I found myself back at the card shop.

I had walked there; I didn't see the point in phoning Amalie.

She probably would have told me to walk back anyway.

I just wanted to walk.

I just wanted to think.

I knew I needed to find something out there.

There had to be something for me.

But I wasn't sure what.

It could be duelling, that was still on the cards, I'd given it more thought over the past few days.

But, maybe not.

Without realising it, I'd found my way back to the shop.

I looked at it.

It was a shame Solomon was losing it.

I loved it here.

Man, if I could, I would buy it from him myself.

I slowly made my way inside and was greeted by a smiling Amalie, "you get fired?"

I looked at her, "umm yeah, kind of."

Her face instantly dropped, and she made her way over to me, "oh Jaden, I'm sorry."

I shook my head and explained the situation to her, I told her that it wasn't as bad as she thinks.

We chatted for a while before getting on with work, there was still a lot to do before tomorrow.

I grabbed a box and started to sort the cards behind the desk.

They were the cards Solomon had told us to be careful with when sorting them, I guess they were the most valuable cards or something.

I just packed them away for a while.

I allowed myself to lose track of time.

I was still thinking about what Mr Maloney had said.

I did needed to find something else to do, some kind of job, I knew that for sure.

I need to find my next path.

Suddenly, I had a sharp feeling course through me, it wasn't a bad one, but I knew what it was.

The Aura.

I knew it from the first time I had come into the shop, but I hadn't noticed it recently.

I'd thought it was disappearing but clearly, it was still very much here.

I heard the shop door go which was strange because there was a sign outside saying closed.

I spun around and saw a face that I wasn't expecting to see.

"Alexis?"

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

I stepped into the card shop and Jaden was behind the counter sorting something out.

I wasn't expecting to see him straight away, I had been preparing myself on the drive over, but now I was here I wasn't sure whether I was ready.

I'd woken up this morning with a sense of determination.

Ever since the incident with Jaden whilst we were moving in the house, he had barely spoken to me.

I'd tried to talk to him, but he just wasn't talking to me.

It was bothering me.

I wasn't even sad…

Well, I was a little bit.

He was being childish and as far as I am concerned, and I was going to confront him about it.

I knew that Jesse was starting work at the same place as Jaden today, so I went there first.

Jesse had good baking experience because his parents owned a bakery back home, so I knew the job was perfect for him.

He loved baking; I'd seen him do it a few times whilst we were travelling. He was very good, and I knew that as soon as he applied for the job, he would get it for sure.

I'd gone to the bakery, but Jesse had told me that Jaden had already left.

At that point I was going to give up, but an old lady called Mrs Norris had given me the directions to this card shop he was helping out at.

She wasn't sure where he was, but she said this would be the best bet.

In a way it was funny, I didn't even have a clue he was working at the bakery and it made me mad.

He still wasn't telling me stuff.

Okay, maybe I was being paranoid.

But still….

So, here I was, at the entrance to the card shop staring at the back of his head.

I creeped further in and the bell on the door rang, making Jaden turn around.

He looked at me for a second, "Alexis?"

He continued to stare, and I got mad.

"Yes, Jaden, it's me, did you forget who I was?"

Okay, it didn't mean to come out that harsh, but still, what was he playing at?

I made my way over to him and a sudden surge of power came through.

It felt strange.

It was a sharp feeling, something that I'd never felt before, it felt good though.

Like a strong power, giving me strength, making me confident.

I reached the countertop and Jaden still hadn't said anything, "you've got nothing to say…. huh Yuki?"

I never called him Yuki, I don't know what was coming over me, it was like this feeling was making me confident even around him.

"Alexis, slow down, I don't understand, what do you mean," he said making his way around the counter.

I felt the strange power get stronger as Jaden his way over to me.

Dam, I must be head over heels for him, I've never been this worked up before.

I looked at him even though I was angry, I still felt shy whenever I was around him still.

"You…. you…. why have you been ignoring me?"

Jaden looked at me confused, then his expression changed to sad.

"I… I…"

Clearly, he didn't have an answer.

I didn't want to talk to him anymore.

"Forget it," I said, turning to leave.

I quickly wiped away the tear that was on my cheek.

Sheesh, he doesn't even know that he turns me into a blubbering mess.

"Alexis," Jaden said, I looked back around, he had this expression, but I couldn't tell what it was, "wait."

"Jaden," I said moving back towards him, "stop ignoring me, I can't have this every time something happens between us, we can't just stop talking."

I felt the power surge even more as I got closer to him.

It was giving me confidence, confidence to do something I might regret.

"I know Lex, I was being stupid, I just…. I was embarrassed," he said, looking at me sad.

I smiled at him.

Did he get embarrassed around me as well?

He laughed slightly, "do you know, it still confuses me as to what happened…. What do you think it meant?"

With this power, I saw an opening, I could tell him…. tell him how I feel….

"Jaden I…."

He looked at me, "yeah Lex?"

I reached out a hand to touch him, I wasn't sure why, it just felt right.

"Jaden, I've been trying to find a way to tell you that…. see the thing is….."

I couldn't get the words out….

Oh, screw it!

"Jaden, I lov…."

Suddenly, I felt a sharp surge of energy course through my body as my hand touched Jaden's shoulder.

Everything got bright, like a white light and I couldn't see a thing.

"Jaden," I said, but there was no response.

It felt like everything was getting further away.

I tried to move but my body was still.

I started to feel dizzy, my body going numb….

Then, everything went dark and I fell to the floor.

* * *

**The end….**

**What do you think?**

**Predictions, let's get your predictions?**

**They always make me smile, trying to see you lot guess what's going on…**

**What was that all about huh?**

**Sorry, like I said, I didn't mean for it to take this long to upload, hopefully the next won't be as long.**

**I hope you all enjoyed and you'll hear from me real soon.**

**Until then favourite and follow for instant updates and look after yourselves.**

**Writey x**


	14. Many New Meetings

**We're back again, who's ready to go?**

**There is a lot to get through in this chapter so bare with me...**

**I hope you all enjoy it; it has been great writing it and we're only just getting started.**

**Remember, if you want instant updates, be sure to follow and favourite, however shall we get going?**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

I slowly opened my eyes to a room I didn't recognise…

In fact, I'd didn't recognise any of the people in the room with me either…

There was a boy, probably in his teens with blonde hair and blue eyes, sat across from me playing some sort of video game on the television.

In the seat just to my left, there was a woman, probably a parent of the boy, reading a magazine of some description. She was an incredibly beautiful woman, her long blonde hair stretched down to her shoulders. She looked youthful, almost as if she could be my sister.

As her brown eyes scrolled around the page, I noticed that both these people had an uncanny resemblance to Jaden.

Don't get me wrong they looked different for sure, but they both had incredibly similar features to Jaden, which clearly made it apparent that I was in a room with members of his family.

I started to feel slightly uncomfortable.

I'd never met these people before, and I had been on their sofa completely passed out.

How embarrassing.

What must they think?

I quickly sat up and instantly regretted it.

I felt a massive pain go through my head.

Migraine for sure.

How did this happen?

My mind wondered back to the events at the card shop, the strong powerful feeling I had, the confidence it gave me, then the conversation I had with Jaden…

Oh god….

The conversation…

I almost told him….

What was I thinking?

A tug at my trouser leg snapped me out of my thoughts, and I looked down.

I focused my vision and realised there was another child here, much younger than the boy.

I smiled at her, she was clearly Jaden's sister, that I had no doubt.

She must have been about 4 or 5.

She was a very pretty little girl; her hair was brown with streaks of blonde and her eyes were a mixture of brown and blue.

I picked her up and she giggled as I ruffled her hair.

She was adorable I must say.

"Ahh, I see you've met my little Tess," said someone from across the room.

I looked at the women, who I now assumed to be Jaden's mother, smiling at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," I said, looking at the woman.

Tess had somehow managed to wriggle her way onto my lap and was now playing with a small barbie doll, who funnily enough, looked like me.

"Oh, don't be silly dear, I'm just trying to make sure you feel better," said the woman, coming over to me.

She placed a hand on my forehead and smiled, "ahh, well you feel a lot warmer; you were really freezing when Amalie and Jaden brought you back here."

I looked around and it all hit me, I must have been at Jaden's house.

I looked out the window, it must have been at least 6 o'clock because the sun was starting to go down.

"You've been out quite a while," said the women, it was as if she was reading my mind, "I'm Susan by the way, Jaden's mum."

"Hi," I said, in reply, I guess you could say it was an awkward response.

It wasn't what I had planned on saying the first time I had met on of Jaden's parents.

I straightened myself up, "hi Susan, sorry, I'm Alexis, I'm just trying to get my bearings."

That was better.

"Well, Alexis, it's lovely to meet you," her mum said sitting back in the chair next to Tess, "Jaden actually told me your name, he went upstairs to shower, he did have to explain why he brought a person passed out into the house

I suddenly went red, but I wasn't sure whether it was to do with the fact that she already knew my name and I had said it as if she didn't know or the fact that I just pictured Jaden in the shower.

I quickly removed those thoughts from my head, "wait, did you say Jaden and Amalie fot me back here? How far?"

Susan nodded and smiled, "yes honey, Amalie helped Jaden, but she went back to the shop to keep packing away, Jaden didn't want to leave you until he knew you were okay. I think they drove back, so it wasn't that much of a problem."

I probably looked like a tomato at this point…

Jaden didn't want to leave me…

He wanted to make sure I was okay…

I knew it was nothing, but the thought of him caring for me whilst I was unconscious made my heart flutter.

As if it were written in the stars, Jaden came into the room, hair soaked still from his shower.

He wore a simple t-shirt with 'I love food' on it.

Such a Jaden shirt.

He wore some simple shorts and had some thick woolly socks on.

I'd never really paid much attention to this stuff before, but clearly, I was now.

Out the corner of my eye, I could see his mum, smiling at me, almost knowingly.

I looked back at Jaden, who had grabbed a glass of water and had come into the living room.

"Hey Joshie," he said, rubbing his brothers head.

Clearly, Josh, which I presumed was his name, didn't appreciate it, pushing Jaden's away.

Jaden laughed before looking around the room and then we locked eyes, "oh hey, you're awake."

Jaden rushed straight over to me.

He placed his hand on my head, "you don't feel cold anymore which is good."

I felt my body get cold as he took his hand away, like it was keeping me nice and warm.

Jaden looked at me then his mum, almost as if they were silently talking to each other.

Susan looked away from Jaden and then towards Josh, "hey Josh, Tess, let's get some ice lollies and go outside."

At first Josh seemed hesitant but when he looked at his mother he followed.

Tess clung to me at first, before eventually being tempted away with a bright pink lolly.

"I'll be outside, if you need anything just ask," she said looking at me and Jaden.

Then, just like that, I was in a room, alone with Jaden.

I would have been pretty nervous being alone with him in the room, if it wasn't for the fact that Jaden had a very serious facial expression.

"Alexis," he said, he had this concerned facial expression, "how much of earlier do you remember?"

I guess I should have been expecting that kind of question.

I remembered the powerful serge and almost telling Jaden the truth, so not much.

"Erm, I remember talking to you."

Jaden's facial expression changed to sad, I could tell we would still need to have that conversation at some point.

"Then I remember this really strong feeling, it made me stronger, then everything else is pretty blank after that.

I left out certain details, I didn't feel it was the right time to be spilling my feelings out to Jaden.

He looked at me concerned for a second, then turned to look over his shoulder and then back at me.

"Alexis…. this might not make sense at first, but just here me out," Jaden said, kneeling down in front of me.

"Do you know what aura is?"

I looked at him and nodded, I didn't want to interrupt.

Aura was like a distinct atmosphere, produced by someone or something, but I'd never really grasped what it felt like.

Jaden looked at me, and I started to understand what he was talking about.

"Alexis, that power, that feeling you felt last night was an incredibly strong aura…."

Explains the over-confidence thing…

"I don't know why, but when you arrived yesterday, that aura spiked so much that when you touched me, you passed out…"

Wait…

Jaden felt it too…

"You could feel that as well," I asked, clearly, he did, but I just wanted to make sure.

"Yeah, I've felt it ever since I first went to the card shop, except, I never felt anything like that…"

Jaden stared past me looking concerned. I could tell it was bothering him, but I didn't want to say anything.

"Well, I said, why don't we go back and see if we can work it what it was," I said, standing up.

I'd forgotten about the migraine and a sharp pain hit me head causing me to stumble forward.

"Whoa," Jaden said, grabbing me, "you sure you're okay?"

He slowly let me go and I smiled at him, "yeah I'm fine."

It felt nice, Jaden checking on me, I liked it.

"Alexis, that's the thing, I could feel it, all the way up until you passed out…. It was like it just disappeared into thin air…."

I looked at him. This time I was concerned.

"All I know is, I don't know why it was there, or what it was about…. but I'm concerned…."

Jaden looked at me, and I realised, he wasn't concerned about the aura, he was concerned about me.

"I don't know what it has got to do with you Lex, but I want you to promise me you'll be careful," Jaden placed his hand on my knee, and I felt a wave of emotion course through me, "if it can knock you out unconscious like that, who knows what else it might do if it comes back.."

I knew I didn't have to reply to what he had said. It was as clear as day, something that powerful made me fearless, who knows what it can do with a bit more time…

"Anyway," Jaden said, smiling, "I say we go outside and check on the others."

Jaden held out his hand and I grabbed it; a jolt of energy coursed through the touch as I stood up.

I looked at Jaden, who looked back at me. Clearly, he had felt that too. There was definitely something going on, I just had no idea what it was.

We made our way outside, where Josh, Tess and Susan, were sat looking at a huge structure.

I looked at it more clearly and then I realised what it was.

"Jaden," I said, coming up alongside all the others.

His family turned around and smiled at me.

Jaden also smiled, noticing the direction of my gaze, "it's homemade, my dad built it from scratch, you can have a go if you want."

I looked at the duelling arena in awe, his father had built this from scratch.

That is a very talented man.

"Speaking of," Susan said.

I turned around to face the final Yuki family member.

Similarly, to Jaden's mother, Mr Yuki had characteristics of every child, brown hair, blue eyes, a very toned, lean body.

You could have mistaken him for an older sibling.

"Ahh," he said, stepping out the back door into the garden.

He smiled at his family, who in return stood up to go and greet him.

I lingered at the back as the other Yuki's greeted him.

"You know," he said, placing down what looked to be a work bag, "that might have been the first time ever I've not been greeted at the door by my little monkey."

He picked up Tess and started to tickle her, causing a whole load of laughter from the girl.

I could tell, just by looking at him, that he was a very good dad.

Mid tickle, Mr Yuki finally locked eyes with me.

"Oh…" he said, putting Tess down, "how rude of me, I didn't see you there, missss?"

He put out a hand for me to shake.

I smiled at him and shook his hands, "Alexis, I'm one of Jaden's friends from the Academy."

He looked at Jaden with a smile, "oh…. Is this your?"

Jaden went beat red under the gaze of his father. I'm pretty sure I was too, but I was too busy laughing at Jaden's reaction to care.

"Dad, please, Alexis is my…. friend."

It hurt to hear him say that, but there was something I hadn't heard before when he said it…

Hesitation.

My hurt skipped a little, I knew it didn't mean anything, but my head was overthinking it completely.

Jaden's dad smiled, then looked at me, "well, Alexis, it's lovely to meet one of Jaden's friends, I'm Malcom, Jaden's dad."

It was nice to have finally met Jaden's father, it was pretty safe to say, I loved his family already.

"Alexis," Susan said, turning to face me, "if you're okay with it, I'd like you to stay tonight, so I can keep an eye on you, I don't want you passing out on your way home or anything like that."

Malcom looked at me then his wife, "what's this? Did someone hurt you?"

Malcom looked at Jaden angrily, but I quickly intervened, "no, no one hurt me."

I looked at Jaden and smiled, if anything Jaden had saved me.

"Alexis came to see me at the card shop, whilst she was there, she fainted and passed out, she was out for a while and that's why I brought her here."

Malcom looked at me, "well then, I must say, you will definitely stay tonight, can't have anything bad happening to you, can we?"

I smiled at him.

In one day, I had managed to meet Jaden's parents and been invited to stay over at his house.

My crush was certainly growing by the second.

I smiled at them all, "I suppose I could stay; I'd have to walk back to get my car anyway."

I was looking at Jaden, who was smiling but looked hesitant, had I made the right decision?

"Well, in that case, I'll go make some dinner," said Susan, who disappeared off inside to start cooking.

"Right then," Malcom said taking off his jacket, "Alexis, how do you fancy having a duel, I want to see if the Duel Academy standard is what it used to be."

"Dad," Jaden said, "she's meant to be taking it easy."

I looked at Jaden and laughed, "Jay, I'll be fine, you're on Mr Yuki."

Malcom smiled, "brilliant, don't hold back, but please call me Malcom."

We both laughed and headed off, whilst the others stayed to watch.

We duelled for a while, I managed to defeat Malcom but only just, it took a lot more than I had anticipated, he was good that's for sure.

Dinner was lovely, I could tell Susan was very good at cooking.

It was nice just to be able to spend some quality time with people eating a meal together.

I hadn't done it in so long that just eating with them made me feel happy.

"Hey," Joshie said, midway through eating his pasta, "why don't we watch a film tonight?"

"What a great idea," Malcom said, "I don't remember that last time we did that all together."

"Yeah," Josh said, he then looked at me and smiled, "plus, we have Alexis here as well, may as well all do something together."

I smiled.

Maybe it was to do with me passing out, but either way I was feeling more and more at home by the minute.

I hadn't felt at home in a while, but I could picture a future, something I hadn't been able to do in a while, I needed to work out what I wanted to do, but I could picture myself settling down.

The thought of Jaden played through my mind.

A future with Jaden…

It was a nice thought, I liked the thought of it, but I pushed it away.

I wasn't going to let myself get my hopes up, I didn't want to lose a friend at the same time.

After we had finished eating and cleared the table, we all settled down to watch a movie.

Malcom and Susan had let Josh pick the film; it was some sci-fi about robots fighting aliens.

I didn't really mind what we watched; it was just nice to be involved.

I wasn't sure whether Tess would particularly be invested in the film, but they had set out a toy kitchen just in case she decided the film wasn't for her.

Yet, I was nervous.

It wasn't because of the film or being here, far from it in truth, I felt very comfortable here.

It was the fact that we hadn't established where I was sleeping.

I imagined I would be down here, just on the sofa, that would be fine, lovely even.

But a thought kept creeping into my head as I sat next to Jaden on the two-person sofa…

I wanted to stay with Jaden…

He'd made me feel safe the whole time I was here, I hadn't had that in a long time.

There was so much about being here that made me feel good but being around Jaden was the most prominent.

I loved being around him…

"Alexis..."

I looked to my left; Jaden still had his eyes on the TV.

It was strange no one had said anything, but I could hear voices.

As I watched the film, I felt my eyes get weary.

To be honest after the day I'd had, I wasn't surprised I was falling asleep, it had really taken a lot out of me.

The last thing I remember was a robot dancing to some groovy music before I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to movement, Jaden had shifted, I don't think he'd meant to.

Once I'd gained full conscious, I realised I had fallen asleep on Jaden, my head resting on his shoulder.

It was a good job the lights were off, because I went as red a tomato.

It was nice though, it was comfy.

I lifted my head off his shoulder, "hey," he whispered.

I would have just smiled to not interrupt the movie, but it was pitch black.

Before I even had a chance to reply, the doorbell went.

"Hmm," said Malcom, "that's strange, who could that be?"

Jaden's father rose from his seat, turning the light on.

There were a few grunts and moans at the sudden change in lighting, but he continued onto the door.

We all listened; Josh was looking at his phone, but he was definitely listening.

There was mumbling and then Malcom shouted, "Jaden, Alexis, it's for you."

I looked stunned.

For me as well as Jaden?

Maybe it was Jesse, he'd come looking for me.

The thought got me sad, the thought of leaving, I was looking forward to staying longer.

It couldn't have been though because Jaden had already text him and Syrus.

I looked at Jaden, who looked just as confused.

We both got up and went to the door.

Jaden let me go first and as I neared the door, I realised I'd never met the person in my life.

He was an old man, he had long grey hair and was wearing an orange sort of hat.

I was very confused, but as Jaden caught sight of him, he was clearly more aware of the situation, "Solomon?"

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Solomon was the last person I was expecting to see at my house this evening.

For starters, it was pretty late but more importantly, I'd thought he would still have been clearing the card shop away.

The most surprising bit though was that he had asked for Alexis to come to the door as well.

I was pretty sure they had never met, so how did he even know her?

I was glad my parents had offered her to stay, after today's events.

It had been worrying to say the least….

_Alexis moved her hand out towards me, there was a look in her eyes, it was confident but caring._

"_Jaden, I lov…."_

_Suddenly, she froze, her body went still, and the next thing I knew she collapsed._

"_Alexis," I said, falling to me knees beside her._

"_Jaden," she said, but I could tell she was still out of it._

"_Alexis, I'm here."_

_I felt her whole-body slump and she went ice cold._

_The aura that had gotten stronger and stronger as Alexis came closer, but it had seemingly just disappeared._

"_I haven't seen anything like this in years…"_

_I turned around and saw DK floating over me. He didn't have his usual playful expression, actually, it was far from it in truth, he looked deadly serious._

"_What do you mean?" I said, looking up at him, Yubel was hovering over Alexis and I as well, looking very concerned._

"_I must go, this is serious," and just like that he disappeared._

"_What the…. Yubel, what was that about?"_

_I looked at her for answers, but she just stared at Alexis._

"_I don't know Jaden, but whatever it was, DK will sort it, but right now, you need to get Alexis someplace safe, we don't know what will happen next."_

_I looked at Yubel, she was right. Alexis was the priority, she needed help._

"_Hey Jaden… where do these, WHAT THE!"_

_Amalie came storming over to Alexis, "Jaden Yuki what did you do?"_

_I quickly explained the situation to her._

"_Right, this isn't good, get her to my car."_

_Amalie and me moved Alexis to the back of the car, "Jaden, you get in first."_

_I looked at her, "what?"_

"_Someone needs to keep an eye on her, I'm driving, so it has to be you," Amalie said, clearly getting frustrated._

_I couldn't disagree, I needed to keep an eye on her, after all, I had a part to play in this somehow…_

_I felt guilty…_

That was what flooded my thoughts for most of the evening.

What had I done to her?

Clearly, I was involved, but what had I done to knock her out unconscious.

It was strange though, having her around, Alexis, made me forget about all my concerns, only if for a while.

It was nice, to just be able to not have any worries around someone.

All my thoughts had consumed me, so much so I hadn't realised that Solomon Muto was standing at my front door.

"Solomon?" I said, surprised to see him here at such a late hour.

"Hello Jaden," Solomon said, smiling at me, "Miss Rhodes, lovely to meet you."

Solomon took Alexis's hand and gave it a little kiss.

I felt something stir inside me, watching Solomon kiss Alexis's hand.

I didn't like the feeling so I got rid of it.

Alexis had gone bright red, probably with embarrassment, but just nodded at him.

"Is it okay if I have a chat with these two please Malcom?"

I gathered that dad had introduced himself to Solomon once he had realised who he was.

"Of course Solomon, I'll be in the living room if you need anything."

Solomon smiled at him, I'd never seen Solomon smile so much, especially given the fact that he was about to lose his card shop.

Once the door went, I heard Solomon breathe a huge sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank goodness for that, I don't think I could have held it in anymore," he said, jumping like a young schoolboy.

I looked at him. I had absolutely no idea what was going on with him.

I turned to Alexis who seemed to be even more lost than I did.

To be fair, she had only come into the shop to rant at me about not talking to her, now she must be completely lost.

"Oh, how thoughtless of me, Alexis, I believe that is your name, well that's what Amalie said anyway, how are you feeling?"

I looked at Solomon, I guess he must have spoken to Amalie.

"I'm… I'm feeling much better thank you," Alexis said, stepping to closer to me.

I had an instinct to put an arm around her, to protect her, but I didn't.

No friend would do that…

"Well that is good, you know when I saw you passed out it did have me worried…."

Wait, he saw it?

"You saw it?" I said, slightly frustrated. If he saw it, he could have at least helped.

Although, it was my fault she was there in the first place.

"Oh yes Jaden, from afar of course, when you were driving away, I felt it as well though…"

My eyes shot wide open…

I looked at Alexis, who was seemingly just as surprised as me.

"Wait," she said, it was the first time she had really said anything in the conversation, "you felt it as well?"

Solomon just smiled at us, "of course my dear."

"So, you felt it that whole time?"

I could tell Solomon was getting frustrated with all the questions, "yes Jaden, I felt it all the time, well, it got stronger when I got those cards, and then when you arrived, that's why I knew to give you the cards."

Suddenly, everything started to click.

That's why DK disappeared; he knew what was going on…

Solomon continued, "it died down quite a bit once you took those cards away, but today, my goodness, I'd never felt a power so great, a connection."

I felt my face go red and looked at Alexis.

Luckily, she hadn't noticed, but I was sure her face was red as well.

I looked back at Solomon, blimey could he talk.

"Once I realised it was Alexis here, who had entered the card shop I knew, well I don't know why or what it is, but it was reacting to the two of you."

I looked at Alexis.

Maybe that was why she passed out, I had experienced auras before, Alexis on the other hand, nothing, maybe that was why I didn't pass out.

Solomon finally took a breath and looked at us, "I don't know where it went, but I know that as soon as Alexis here passed out, it disappeared."

Just as I thought, I felt it, then all of a sudden, it was gone…

"But," Solomon said, the huge smile appeared on his face, "that's not why I am here!"

He started clapping his hands and getting excited again.

Honestly, I was so confused, he was losing his shop tomorrow, wasn't he?

He took my hand and then Alexis's and looked at us both, "I just wanted to say thank you to you both, you don't know what this means to me, I'm so glad it's in good hands."

Okay that was it, I was just about finished…

"What do you mean Solomon?"

Solomon dropped both of our hands and looked confused for a minute.

"Well, I wanted to thank you both for agreeing to buy the card shop together…"

* * *

'**Whoa Writey, that's a bombshell'**

**I know, I know, it is a shocker, not to all of you apparently though (no names mentioned).**

**I loved writing that one, I must admit, it was fun.**

**What did you all think?**

**So much to digest, but I'll give you time and then we'll get into the midway chapter of the story, number 15.**

**Don't forget to favourite and follow for the latest updates, look after yourselves as well.**

**However, until next time, don't overthink it… ;)**

**Writey x**


	15. Signed, Sealed, Delivered

**Gooday everyone, **

**Hope you are all well.**

**We've made it to the midway point of the story. I have worked out there will be roughly 30 chapters, so there is still a long way to go.**

**Hope you're all still with me and enjoying it.**

**There is also a thought running through my head as whether or not to do a sequel, but I kind of want to leave that to you guys, if you think you'd enjoy one, then please message me or let me know in some way.**

**I know there is a long way to go, but I'm going to put it out there early, so people can have a think whether they would like to read more.**

**Anyway, there's a thought to leave you with, until then, enjoy the chapter…**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Have you ever won a surprise award at school or in a sports team, but known you've not actually done anything for it?

That was how I felt as I stared at Solomon, in my doorway, after revealing to Alexis and I that we had apparently bought the card shop.

I looked towards Alexis, who had gone pale, if it wasn't for the shocking news we had just received, I'd have thought the she was falling ill again.

I looked back at Solomon, he seemed so excited, but I was just completely confused.

Unless my parents had bought it for me as a gift, which was highly unlikely, who the heck would have done something so generous.

I looked towards Alexis once more…

It wouldn't have been any of her family, they didn't even speak to her that much, which made me angry at the thought of it.

But I just don't understand, how could we have bought the card shop, there wasn't any plausible way we could afford it…

Oh god…

What happened if we went to pay and didn't have the money, how could we face Solomon then?

There was no way we could afford to buy the shop between us.

I had to be honest with Solomon, it wasn't fair for him to believe that we had actually agreed to buy the shop from him.

"Solomon," I said, getting nervous, I wasn't sure how he was about to take this news.

I saw the expression change on his face, it certainly wasn't excited.

"We haven't agreed to buy your card shop," I said, looking towards Alexis, who nodded.

Clearly, she was in the same mindset I was.

We simply couldn't afford it.

"You know I would love too," I said, placing a hand on the man's shoulder, "but, we don't have the money nor the knowledge to be able to run a shop."

The expression on Solomon's face changed again, but this time he was definitely confused.

"This makes no sense…"

He rummaged around in his pocket for something.

"Ahh, here we go," he said, pulling out a piece of paper, a document, of sale.

He handed the piece of paper over to me, and I moved it so Alexis could read at the same time;

**_Dear Mr Muto,_**

**_We are pleased to announce the sale of your card shop has been agreed, there has been a large offer made, and the bank, including De'Angelo, have accepted on your behalf. Please feel free to contact us about anything you may have questions about._**

**_The money shall arrive in your account when the payment has been made, until then, please make sure you vacate the premises, as of midday tomorrow._**

**_Yours,_**

**_Archibald Cartwright_**

**_Bank CEO_**

Underneath, it was as clear as day, the sale confirmation…

**_Purchased buy: Mr Jaden Yuki, Miss Alexis Rhodes_**

**_Date Purchased: July 26__th__, 2020_**

**_Confirmation of Purchase: Confirmed_**

**_Purchase Overseen By: De'Angelo Rodriguez_**

I looked at Alexis, there was no mistaking, that was definitely our names on the document.

"You see," Solomon said, smiling once more. I'm pretty sure I could have told him the world was ending and he would have been smiling, "there is a document to prove it."

He was right, it was in writing, Alexis and I had purchased the card shop.

"I don't believe it…" Alexis said, staring at the paper, if I was reeling from the news, she must have thought she was still in a dream.

"Yes, my dear, that's why I came, and just by chance, you were both here."

Everything was starting to sink in now, this was going to be a problem.

"When De'Angelo came and visited the shop earlier, I too didn't believe it, Amalie as well, she started laughing, but it clearly says it here in the document, you are the owners of the card shop, or rather will be," he said, taking the piece of paper back from us.

I turned to look at Alexis, I hated to think how stressed she was right now.

"Well..." I said. It was all I could manage; I didn't really have much else to say in truth.

"Yeah..." she said back, this conversation was going to go well.

"I know there is a lot for you both to process," Solomon said, stepping closer to the door, "but I am honestly glad it's going to people I can trust."

Suddenly a thought hit me.

"I know," I said, I could see a way out of this mess, "what if we give it to you?"

"Huh" Alexis said, she would understand in a second.

"Think about it, we could buy it, although I'm not sure how," I could see Alexis shudder at the thought, she had a house to pay off, "and then you could take charge of it again."

I thought it was a brilliant idea, and clearly Alexis did too, her facial expression changing to a hopeful one.

However, I looked at Solomon, who just had a small smile on his face.

"Honestly," he said, looking down at his shoes, "I really appreciate the offer."

Oh no, that doesn't sound good.

He looked at both of me and Alexis, before continuing, "but I'll have to say no."

My mouth fell open. After all the complaining, Solomon didn't even want the shop back…

"It's not that I don't want it, far from it in truth, I'd love to have it back, it's just… I'm getting on a bit and maybe it's a good thing for you guys to have it, I've been thinking about retirement for a while."

I saw a little tear in Solomon's eye, either way, this was very hard for him.

He wiped away the tear before continuing, "it might be a fresh start for us all, just the thing we've been looking for."

He was right, I had been looking for something to do, a new path, a new career for me to lead…

This could be it.

"Anyway," he said, smiling once more, he was basically out the door at this point, "it might be good, you guys could bring new ideas, things I've never thought of, hey, you're a great match clearly."

I felt my cheeks go red, I knew he meant about the stuff with the aura, but still, there was something else underneath that comment that made me feel shy.

"So," he said, clapping his hands, "it's settled, you shall have the shop."

As much as I was worried about all the logistics, I was excited as well, it would be nice to have a shop to run, especially with Alexis.

Solomon opened the door, and started to head outside, before peering back in, "oh before I forget, you need to meet at the bank tomorrow to sign everything off and make the payment."

I felt a twist in my stomach. We had to pay tomorrow, that was not good.

Just as Solomon was about to leave, my dad reappeared.

"Oh," he said, coming to stand next to me, "are you heading off Solomon?"

I really didn't want to have a conversation with my dad about everything here, right now.

"Oh, yes Malcom, unfortunately I am, I need to get back home, it has been a long day," Solomon said, smiling at my father.

"Not even a drink," dad said, it was like he was trying to tempt him in, almost to explain more him and mum I expect.

I saw Solomon hesitate for a second, before he looked back at me and smiled, "I'm sorry Malcom, I must be off, I will take you up on that soon though."

"Of course," dad said, smiling, "you're welcome any time."

I had a sudden thought, had they heard the conversation?

Before I could ask, dad retreated into the living room.

I turned back to Solomon, "well…"

That was I could seem to say tonight.

"Yes, I shall see you both in the morning," and with a smile and a swift exit, he was gone.

There was a momentary silence.

I felt like I needed one after the day I'd had.

I felt a hand tap me on the arm, and I looked at Alexis, who was smiling.

"You okay?" she said.

I smiled, instantly all the worry and stress disappeared.

"Yeah, I am," I said back, "I just don't know what we're going to do, we definitely don't have the money."

Alexis shook her head, I knew the price the shop would be, and I don't even think my parents could afford it.

"I just don't get it, we didn't buy it," Alexis said.

That was the other point, how did we end up with it?

"Either way," she said, smiling back at me, "let's not worry about it until tomorrow, we've had a long day and I want to finish that film."

I smiled, she was right, we'll worry about the card shop when we need too, right now I want to relax.

Alexis smiled at me. She had certainly rubbed off on my family, I could tell, my mum especially. I think she enjoyed having another girl in the house, who didn't just want to play with a toy kitchen all day.

It suddenly dawned on me, "Alexis, we still need to work out where you're sleeping…"

I hadn't thought about it with everything going on, but we still hadn't established where she would stay.

I mean, there wasn't a whole host of places she could stay.

You had the living room, or my room…

I went red in the face at the thought of Alexis staying in my room, I'd never had a girl stay in my room.

It made my heart beat a little faster…

Alexis turned around, she looked surprised by the question, "umm… maybe I should stay downstairs, if you're parents are okay with that."

I felt slightly deflated by her response, more than perhaps I should have been…

"Yeah," I said, putting on a smile, why was I acting so weird?

"Plus," I said, snapping out of my thoughts, "wouldn't want to keep you awake with my snoring."

I had no idea why I had said that.

Alexis laughed slightly, but she seemed disappointed.

We made our way silently back into the living room, I was really hoping that my parents hadn't heard the conversation we'd had with Solomon, it was the last thing I wanted to talk about.

We went inside and my parents were sat, looking at something else on the television.

Mum looked up and smiled at us, "so, how was your conversation with Solomon?"

I stopped.

Dam it.

I just had to play it cool.

"Yeah it was fine thanks."

There that should do it.

"Good," she said, "what was it about?"

Oh no…

"Err… um… well…"

"It was just about earlier," Alexis said, thank god she was here, "Solomon just came by to make sure I was okay, nothing major, Jaden was just asking loads about the shop."

I sighed that was a good answer.

My parents looked at me and I realised, I hadn't actually answered.

"Oh, ugh, yeah, exactly what Alexis said…"

I was making a real mess of this.

"Well," my dad said, switching the channel back over to the film, "I'm sure he's glad that you are okay, Alexis."

It looked like they hadn't heard anything, which was good.

I didn't really want to have to talk to them about buying a card shop that I had no recollection of purchasing…

Or the fact that I couldn't afford it.

I'm still not sure they were clueless, it's pretty hard not to listen in, especially since I know what my family are like.

We both sat back down in the seat we were in, it was nice, being close, having her here, something felt right about it, but I wasn't sure what it meant.

Hell, I wasn't sure what anything meant these days.

There was so much that I was unsure about, all these mixed feelings I had with Alexis, they all just made me confused.

Everything with the card shop. What was that all about? How had we ended up with it? Why had it been with Alexis?

But the most puzzling was about the aura.

DK knew something…. I was certain.

But, what?

It was clear to me that he had seen something similar before, but the question is, what does it mean?

I knew I would have to ask him when he got back.

If he came back?

I put all the thoughts aside and looked at the tele, this film was so confusing, why did the robots dance all the time?

So strange…

We all sat and watched for a while before mum took a sleeping Tess to bed, Josh went up not long after and mum never returned.

Dad and I watched the rest of film, but I could tell Alexis had fallen asleep at least twice during the ending.

At one point I'm sure she was snoring lightly; it was kind of cute.

Hold on, since when did I use the word cute.

Do you see what I mean about confusing thoughts!

"Right," my dad said, standing from his chair, he'd managed to awake Alexis as well, "I'm going to hit the hay, another long day at work for me tomorrow."

"Alright dad," I said, giving him a hug.

I didn't mind the affection, we'd always done it, so why change?

"Goodnight, Mr Yuki," Alexis said smiling at him.

He held his arms out and Alexis anxiously accepted the hug.

It was funny, I had never seen my dad, or mum for that matter, act like this around anyone.

"Sleep well," my dad, said letting her go and heading upstairs.

"Right," I said looking at Alexis, "are you going to be okay down here?"

I knew she would be fine, but I wanted to be sure.

"Yeah," she said, getting all the pillows and stuff, "I'll be fine."

I was sure there was a hint of sadness in her voice, but she was probably just tired.

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning."

I didn't get a response, she had probably already fallen asleep, so I went upstairs to bed.

I put my head on the pillow and I thought it would have taken me a while to sleep, but, in truth, I was out like a light.

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

What a nights sleep!

It had been one of the best I'd had in a long time.

But, after the day I'd had, it wasn't surprising I had fallen asleep so quickly.

It had been quite a day, but I wouldn't have thought I would have ended up potentially owning a shop.

Owning a shop with Jaden.

He had been down early this morning. He'd said that we should keep everything a secret until it is all sorted out, especially if his family asked questions, I couldn't blame him, it was a particularly stressful situation.

He'd made us some breakfast this morning as well.

He was a surprisingly good cook.

Although, I wasn't going to tell him that.

He'd also shown me around the house, he'd meant to do it yesterday but with everything going on, hadn't been able to do so.

When I pictured Jaden's room, it was actually the opposite.

I hadn't pictured something quite so… grown up.

Don't get me wrong, he certainly isn't childish, but his room was actually quite tidy, and it was quite sophisticated.

It just wasn't what I was expecting.

Today was a big day.

I had just finished getting ready back at home, I had left early this morning in order to find something nice to wear.

I had only been able to say thank you to Susan, Malcom had already left for work when I'd woken up.

To be honest with you I was slightly nervous.

I had been in New Domino less than a week, and I was only just finding my feet, how was I going to manage a card shop as well…

If we even kept it a card shop, I suppose.

I gathered everything I needed.

In truth I didn't know what I needed.

It wasn't a long journey to the bank; I had left in plenty of time to pick up my car on the way. The bank was located in the centre of town, so I knew parking would be a nightmare.

Jaden had promised to meet me out the front. That was a good thing in truth because I didn't know where I was going or who I was looking for.

He arrived about 5 minutes after me. He wore a smart, grey suit.

If I was being honest, he looked incredibly handsome.

"Hey," he said, coming up the steps besides me.

In fact, he also looked incredibly intelligent.

I realised, that he was wearing some simple glasses.

They certainly had the desired effect.

"You ready to go in?"

I nodded to him and followed.

The bank was huge. It was an old stone building, with a marble flooring. It had desks running all the way down the side and several spiral staircases, one in each corner of the room.

A balcony ran around the side of building, it had offices breaking off and several other floors, towering above it.

"Wow," Jaden said, staring upwards, "I didn't realise it was this big."

It was true, even for a bank, this was a huge building.

I waited just inside the doorway, whilst Jaden spoke to someone on a desk.

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder and I turned around.

"AMALIE," I shouted. I probably got a few looks from people, but I didn't care.

"Hey," she said, she didn't sound like her usual self.

I let go and looked at her. She was all dressed up and looked just as pretty as she did at the reunion.

"Are you okay?" I said, looking at my friend.

Amalie stayed silent for a second, "I can't believe you didn't tell me."

I looked at her, was she… was she angry about this?

"Hey, we didn't even know ourselves," I said, half laughing, I hated arguing in public places, it just made me awkward.

She looked at me confused, so I explained to her.

I told her about everything, I even reasoned with her about the price.

"I guess," she said, looking at Jaden who was walking back.

He smiled and hugged Amalie, "hey."

"What I don't get is, why did they leave it so late, why not just sort this out ages ago," Amalie said.

She was right, from what I had gathered, it was all very last minute.

Jaden told us that they were running a bit late, so we were told to go to the waiting room.

Solomon and Monty were already there and seemed to be even more excited than yesterday.

We chatted for a while but weren't waiting too long.

"Mr Yuki, Miss Rhodes," said an elderly gentleman in a black suit.

He looked very important.

"Archibald?" Solomon said, getting to his feet.

Instantly everyone got to their feet.

I followed quickly.

"Solomon, oh how good to see you," said the man, he went over and shook his hand.

Solomon looked shocked, "I wasn't expecting to see you today."

I really hadn't a clue who this man was.

"Mr Cartwright, it's a pleasure to meet you," Amalie said.

Well, if Amalie was talking formal then he had to be important.

"Now, now," said Mr Cartwright smiling, "we don't need all these formalities."

It suddenly clicked, this was the CEO, Archibald Cartwright.

I suddenly felt myself get nervous, if we were dealing with him, without payment, this was going to get embarrassing.

"Aha," he said, turning to me and Jaden, "I'm guessing this must be Mr Yuki and Miss Rhodes?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Indeed sir," Jaden said, shaking his hand.

He seemed relatively calm.

Well calmer than me anyway.

"Shall we get down to business?"

Mr Cartwright led us up a spiral staircase, and into a large office at the end of hallway.

"Please take a seat," he said, opening a door.

There was already a man inside, who, once the door was opened, turned and smiled excited, "Jaden!"

"Hey," Jaden said, fist bumping the man.

I laughed, it seemed rather informal.

The man turned to me, "ahh and you must be Miss Rhodes."

He held out his hand, "I'm De'Angelo Rodriguez."

I shook his hand, "hello lovely to meet you."

"De'Angelo," Mr Cartwright said, "shall we get started?"

"Indeed," he said as everybody took their seats.

Solomon, Monty and Amalie all had different documents to sign, I wasn't sure what, but I knew Solomon's was to agree to the sale.

"It's impressive," Solomon said, "I wasn't expecting the CEO to be involved."

Mr Cartwright smiled.

"Well Solomon, I couldn't have one of my best friends having sub-par treatment, now could I?"

Even though I barely knew Solomon, I was still surprised at the fact that he knew someone like Mr Cartwright, but I guess everything was surprising me recently.

"And, Kyle and Sabrina never would have forgiven me if this deal had failed."

I looked at Solomon who just laughed.

"Right," De'Angelo said, moving round next to me and Jaden.

He had a small tablet in his hand, "there doesn't seem to be much left for you guys to do actually."

I was confused, we didn't have a lot to do.

"What do you mean?" Jaden said.

De'Angelo seemed to be in another face, however.

"I just need you both to authorise the payment," he said, holding out his tablet.

It had a load of writing on it and a fingerprint scanner.

"Wait, wait," Jaden said, standing up, "I don't understand."

"What do you mean Jaden?" De'Angelo said, "you've already paid, you just need to authorise it."

Everybody in the room except for De'Angelo and Archibald seemed shocked.

"Please explain," Jaden said barely, getting the words out.

De'Angelo looked at us for a minute before typing on his tablet for a second.

"See," he said turning it around to show us.

I gasped.

I couldn't believe what I was looking at.

There was an account, with both mine and Jaden's name on, with an absurd amount of money in it.

"You registered your joint account last night, just before we had confirmation of the bid," De'Angelo said, smiling at us.

It was true, it said it was only just registered, but how did it get here?

"It is only you two that could have created this account, our systems are floorless, I can assure you, we will not be hacked," said Archibald.

Something was going on here, but facts are facts, me and Jaden owned this account.

I could pay off my house, Jaden could buy a house and there would still be plenty left.

"Now," De'Angelo said, "the money for the shop has already been taken, I just need confirmation."

He held out the tablet.

Jaden and I looked at each other.

As much as this felt wrong, the fact was, we had the money.

I went first, I placed my thumb on the scanner and a tick came up on the screen just next to it.

Jaden followed, quickly after, not hesitating.

I guess he just wanted this over as quickly as possible.

"Well," said De'Angelo, "it's been a pleasure Solomon, I hope retirement treats you well."

I zoned at this point, everything was sinking in.

I was joint owner of a card shop and I was also very, very wealthy.

I don't know about you, but that didn't sound like a bad start to the day.

It was a good job I had five seats in my car.

Everybody had agreed to go back to the card shop.

The journey was great, everybody was in good spirits, I mean after being told you're now very wealthy, Jaden and I did have a valid reason.

Once we arrived at the shop, I actually took a look around, it wasn't that I hadn't before, I was just a bit pre-occupied.

I noticed that most of the stuff had been put back in place.

"Hey Solomon," Jaden said, scanning the room as he entered, "why's all the stuff still up?"

I scanned the room and realised everything must still belong to Solomon.

Solomon looked around, "it's not my stuff anymore Jaden."

I looked at Jaden, who seemed genuinely confused.

Solomon smiled, "Jaden, the stuff is yours now, I want you to continue the legacy of my shop."

Jaden shook his head, "no way Solomon, I'm not taking these from you."

Solomon smiled, "Jaden, you're not taking them from me I'm giving them to you."

I could tell that Jaden was genuinely uncomfortable by this.

Then I had a thought.

"I know," I said, going over to the counter, "we'll buy them off you, your last sale ever."

It was a crazy idea, but that way they both win, Jaden doesn't feel like he's just taking them, and Solomon still gets to give us the cards.

Solomon pondered it for a minute, this all must be pretty hard for him, given how long he's been doing all this.

"Okay," he said, "but I don't want a lot."

I looked at Jaden who smiled at me.

Yeah, that was the right thing to do.

Jaden and Solomon chatted for a while about a price. It wasn't a simple conversation but eventually they came to an agreement.

Jaden and I continued to survey the scene, there was so much we needed to do, but I also had ideas running through my head.

Hey, maybe this whole thing wouldn't be so bad after all.

Maybe this was just the thing I was looking for.

Solomon told us everything we needed to know, every little detail about the shop and all the various information. Jaden had told me that would be my side of the business, the running of the shop. I didn't mind it too much, just as long as I got everything right.

Jaden told Solomon he could come by anytime, that was clear anyway, but he wanted to be sure.

"Oh Jaden," he said, smiling, "you won't be able to keep us away."

Monty and Amalie smiled.

I could see some sadness on Amalie's face, she was sad to be leaving.

"Amalie," I said, "do you want to work here, with us?"

It was an impulsive decision, but one that I knew Jaden would agree with.

"Yeah," Jaden said, going over to her. He slung his arm over her shoulders and part of me got a little jealous. He never did that to me.

Amalie looked at us, almost shocked, "are… are you sure?"

"Of course," Jaden said laughing, "who's going to tell me what to do?"

Amalie laughed and then looked at me, "we can both keep him in line?"

I smiled, "that's a deal."

Everybody made their way outside.

Solomon handed Jaden the keys.

Jaden smiled and handed them back, "one last time?"

Solomon smiled, it was clear he was full of emotion, and he locked the door.

Compared to the previous trip in my car, everything was mute. I think everybody just wanted to reflect.

Jaden was the last person I dropped home. We had planned to have a meeting in the morning about everything, it was important we acted fast, I wanted to be up and running as soon as possible.

There was one thing that had been playing on my mind though.

"Jaden," I said. He turned to face me, "last night Solomon mentioned some cards, what did he mean."

Jaden looked confused for a minute, but then he reached inside his jacket pocket.

I wasn't really sure why he had his cards with him, it didn't make a great deal of sense, but I guess he had them.

"Here," he said, showing me the cards, "I was thinking about this actually, maybe they're connected in some way, like to the aura, I'm not sure, but ever since I've had them, strange things have been happening."

He held out the cards and I still couldn't believe it, he had Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

There was also a fusion monster, one I'd never heard of.

I took the cards from him and there was a bright flash of light, it was blinding, a lot like the one in the card shop yesterday, except this time, I didn't feel strange at all.

After a while, the bright light vanished, and it took a second to adjust my vision.

"What the…" I heard Jaden say from beside me.

Once I gained my vision, I realised we weren't in my car anymore.

"Impossible…" I said.

I look at Jaden, we were in fact, sat in his front room.

"Oh," I heard a woman say.

Susan came into the living room, "I didn't hear you both come in, let me get you something to eat and drink."

She quickly left and I looked at Jaden.

He was absolutely stunned.

"How… how the…"

I felt a presence behind me.

It was probably just Josh…

I turned around and I nearly fainted again…

"What… what the…" I said.

If Jaden was already stunned, this was about to finish him off…

He turned around and saw what I was looking at….

"No…. no way…"

I could barely believe my eyes….

In front of me…

Floating right there…

Was Dark Magician Girl…

"Oh," she said, "hello miss."

Oh…

And she talked…

* * *

_**Neutral POV**_

Two men stood in a doorway, arguing about something.

"I don't care, I need to tell her," said the man outside. He was clearly frustrated.

"She's not here anyway, she said she would be back later," said the other one, clearly trying not to lose it.

The man outside turned around, looking defeated.

"I know you care about her," said the man inside, he was clearly torn between these two people, "but you know she likes him, it's obvious."

"I know," said the man walking away, "but I just want to tell her how I feel."

He stopped for a minute turning to face the other man…

"I need to tell her I love her," he said finally walking away.

What the two men didn't notice, was the dark hooded figure, stood across the road, watching their every movement…

* * *

**Well… What did you think?**

**Another nail biter maybe? Or a boring old load of nonsense?**

**Let me know anyway, don't forget to let me know about a sequel, it will give me time to plan the ending to co-inside with the next one if you guys do want to hear more.**

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**It's been me,**

**Writey x**


	16. It's a Start

**Alright, it's time to get into the nitty, gritty stuff.**

**Like I said in the last chapter, I want feedback, should I do a second story?**

**There is a little plan underway, but I want the confirmation from you guys first.**

**Favourite and Follow for updates, of course.**

**However, it's time to get going. Hope you all enjoy.**

**Buckle up and Enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Well, it was safe to say the past few days had been interesting.

I mean, I knew there was something up with everything that had been going on, but I wasn't expecting that….

_I was absolutely shocked._

_How had we ended up inside my house?_

_We had just been in the car._

"_What… what the…" _

_I didn't really have much else to say, until Alexis tapped me on the shoulder._

_She didn't say anything, so I slowly turned around._

_If I was shocked about the house thing, this was pretty much the cherry on top…_

"_No… no way…"_

_Were my eyes deceiving me…_

_Floating in front of me, was a duel spirit, one I'd never met before, but the strangest bit was I couldn't feel her presence, I could only see her._

"_Oh," she said, "hello miss."_

_Alexis and I stood for a minute just staring, both probably with our mouths hanging wide open._

"_You're… you're…. Dark Magician Girl," Alexis said, reaching out a hand. It was funny, I remember doing a similar thing the first time I saw a duel spirit as well._

"_Well," Dark Magician Girl said, floating over the back of the sofa._

_She moved passed us and stopped just above a seat, before levitating down, as if she were sitting._

"_That is what everyone calls me, but that isn't my real name."_

_I looked at her…_

_Of course she had a different name._

"_What… what is your name?" Alexis said, slumping back down in the chair._

_She probably thought most of the surprises were over._

"_Well, it is Delilah, but most people call me Dee for short."_

_Delilah, who would have thought that, huh?_

_I smiled, she seemed nice._

"_I must be in a dream," Alexis said, standing up._

_She circled the sofa a few times before Dee decided to talk._

"_Unfortunately miss, you're not, I am, how do I put this, you're duel spirit."_

_It all made sense now, that was why I couldn't sense her, because she wasn't my duel spirit._

"_You're my what?" Alexis said sitting back down again._

_If Alexis was going to keep getting up and down, I was moving._

"_I'm you're duel spirit," Dee said, smiling._

_Alexis still looked confused, so I quickly tried to explain to her what that meant, "right I think I get it."_

_I could tell she didn't, but I left it be anyway._

_Something else had been bothering me…_

"_Dee," I said, looking at her._

_She turned away from Alexis towards me._

"_Yes, Jaden?" _

_I was strange that she knew me, but I gathered she probably would._

"_Where is DK?"_

_It had popped into my mind straight away._

_I was expecting him here, well at least with her here now._

_Was this something to do with his disappearance?_

"_Oh," Dee said, looking around, she seemed confused, "is there someone else coming?"_

_I was confused, surely, she knew who DK was._

"_You know, Dark Magician?"_

_She turned back to face me, looking slightly cross, "oh for heaven's sake."_

_She got up and started circling, just like Alexis did, "he always does this, I don't get why he doesn't like his real name, there is nothing wrong with it!"_

"_Wait," I said, "DK isn't his real name!"_

"_Who is DK?" Alexis asked._

_This was probably adding to her confusion._

"_My duel spirit, Dark Magician, I'm guessing, that aura we felt, has something to do with this," I said, pointing at Dark Magician Girl. _

_Alexis looked like she was going to faint._

"_Yes, Dark Magician is Jaden's duel spirit, as I am yours, but I must say, DK is not his name."_

_She looked hesitant, as if she shouldn't have said anything._

"_It isn't," I said._

_She looked at me, before hovering over._

_She whispered his name in my ear. _

_I knew Alexis would hear as well, duel spirit link and all that._

_I stifled a laugh as she told me, "no way."_

_She giggled, "yeah, he hates it, gets so embarrassed."_

_I was quite a funny name._

_Actually, I didn't even know it was a name._

_I felt a stirring and realised that Yubel had appeared behind me._

"_Jaden," Yubel said, she sounded protective._

_I smiled, I knew she would do this, "Yubel, she's not mine."_

_I saw her instantly relax. I hadn't really thought about the effect DK had on her. Did she get jealous?_

"_Who…" Yubel said, looking at Alexis, "oh…"_

_I looked at Alexis, who was staring in the direction of Yubel._

"_I must be…" _

_Suddenly, Alexis passed out._

"_This is a becoming a habit…" Yubel said._

Yeah…

So…

We now had Dee…

Well, when I said we, it was really Alexis.

I mean I could see her, and Alexis could now see Yubel.

To be fair to Alexis, she had been coping with everything quite well, with the card shop and now this, it was quite something to have sprung upon you all of a sudden.

I mean, Dee is quite a character, but she doesn't really leave Alexis's side, which is why I'm so surprised she's coping this well.

In a way it's a good thing, having someone else around who can see them.

But even though she's coping well with it, I can tell it's still all a bit much.

There is something that sits at the back of my mind though, what does it all mean?

I mean so much has happened recently, and it all feels connected in some way, but I still can't work it out.

And where is DK?

He still isn't back and it's beginning to worry me.

You would have thought that the presence of Dee may have brought him back but, there has been no sign of him.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by a loud banging coming from the back room.

Alexis…

Out she came, looking very stressed.

She sat herself down next to me.

"I give up," she said, resting her head on my shoulder.

It felt my cheeks go bright red.

It was nice the feeling, but I couldn't help but feel slightly nervous.

I shook the thought away quickly and focussed on something else.

"Why, what's the matter?" I knew it was a dangerous question to ask, but one I felt like I should.

Alexis lifted her head and looked at me in the eyes, "there is so much to do."

Alexis was right, we still had loads to do.

We had set an opening day for next week.

There had been so many people visiting whilst we had been working.

A number of Solomon's old customers had been by. Most had told us they were happy that the shop was still going, that they loved to visit.

Some even recognised me from when I had worked a few times, saying how happy they were to see me.

It had made us want to open up as quickly as possible, not only because of the business, but also because it meant something to the people, they loved it here and we wanted to give back to them.

The card shop itself was coming along nicely, we had mostly redecorated everything.

We just wanted it to look right, look good, but at the same time we wanted it to be ours.

Getting everything sorted was the long part.

Alexis and Amalie had been working on the pricing and all the admin, basically the bit I didn't want to do.

That left me with organising the shop floor.

I wasn't going to complain because at least I wasn't doing the admin.

But I mean, it was complicated that's for sure.

I had to organise all the cards, put them in different decks, sort them out into types, special deals….

Honestly the list goes on but really, I just enjoyed looking at the cards, finding cards I'd never heard of.

There was definitely some I could use in my own deck, but Alexis had already told me not to take any.

I had actually almost finished organising the cards, mainly because of all the help I'd had.

Syrus, Zane and Jesse had arrived on the first day to help.

Zane had gone to help with some of the admin, whilst Syrus, Jesse and I had done the cards.

Solomon had actually come in once to help, along with Monty.

Atticus had travelled in after Alexis had told him about the shop, which had been a complete surprise for her.

He had text me about it, just because he didn't really know where he was going.

I had even had help from my family, although telling them about it was interesting…

_All my family were waiting in the front room…_

_I was nervous that's for sure._

_I shouldn't have been, I knew they were going to be excited._

_Heck, a Yuki owning a card shop was ideal._

_But, how did I explain the money?_

_I made my way into the front room._

_They were all sat watching TV, dad and mum cuddled up and Josh on the floor in front of them._

_Perfect, they're all here._

_I went into the room and grabbed the remote, switching off the tv._

"_Hey!" they all shouted._

_Josh lunged for the remote, but I moved it away quickly from him, "wait, wait," I said looking at them all seriously, "there's something I need to tell you about."_

_They all looked startled staring at me intently._

_To be fair to them, I never really told them much, so this was big news…_

"_Is everything okay?" my mother said, motioning to stand up._

"_Everything's fine mum," I said, stepping towards them._

_She looked at me before sitting back down again._

"_I've… I've... got something to tell you…" I said._

"_Is it about the card shop?" Josh said, looking bored._

"_I… errr… wait what?"_

_They knew!_

"_How do you know?" I said, looking at them seriously._

_Josh suddenly looked very guilty, and my parents started to look at each other._

"_Well, Jaden, we kind of heard your conversation with Solomon, we weren't listening…" mum said._

_I looked at them seriously, I knew they had to be listening in._

"_Well, were listening, but we didn't try to listen about the money thing…" dad said._

_Wait, what money thing…_

"_What do you mean 'money thing'?" _

_I looked at them expectantly._

"_We heard you talking with Alexis about the bank, well your mum did," dad said, looking nervous._

_Great, so they had heard everything._

"_Well," I said, I didn't really know what to say._

_They all looked at each other and stood up._

_They all came over to me._

"_We were just waiting for you to tell us," my dad said, smiling at me._

_He pulled me in for a hug. _

_I felt two other sets of arms wrap around me, Josh and my mum._

_I felt someone holding onto my leg._

_Everyone let go and I looked down._

_I smiled, my little Tessa._

"_Hey," I said, picking her up, she giggled, and my smile grew, "are you going to come visit your brothers' new shop?" _

_She smiled and nodded, clearly, she had no idea what I meant._

"_Jaden, we're going to come help, this weekend," mum said, smiling._

_My heart skipped; my family were going to come help!_

"_Really?" I said looking back at them._

"_Of course, son, we're all incredibly proud of you, we wouldn't miss it," dad said. _

_They all smiled at me._

"_Right," dad said, smiling at everyone, "I say celebratory ice creams!"_

_Tess squealed and wriggled that much that I had to put her down._

_Everybody started to walk out the room and I looked at them all, I'm incredibly lucky you know, to have a family like this._

"_Jaden, are you coming?" dad said._

_I smiled, "yeah I am."_

They had come to help over the past weekend, which is probably why we weren't as far behind as we should have been.

Dad helped me sort out the layout and helped me build a few things to put up around the shop.

Mum helped with the admin and Josh just sorted cards.

I think mum just wanted to be around Alexis if you ask me.

Well, when I sat sorted the cards, Josh had mainly spent his time looking at them.

I had actually asked my brother to work a little at the shop, just part time, Alexis had agreed it would be a good idea, with Josh and Amalie we would only need to hire a few more staff.

He had agreed, not to anyone's shock.

We had asked Jesse, but he had opted to stay at the bakery, which he seemed to be loving.

I had actually spoken to Mr Maloney about a few things…

_After the other day, I hadn't been expecting to do this so soon…_

_I mean, it was one thing being told you were on leave, but it was a completely different task going to quit._

_I'd never intended to quit._

_It felt like I was quitting Mr Maloney, but I had too._

_The card shop would never work if we didn't put our full attention to it._

_I just didn't know how to say it, how do I tell him?_

_I'd arrived at the bakery shop without even realising it._

_I went in the front door, the customer entrance, it only felt right, I couldn't go in the staff doorway. _

_I made my way inside, I knew no one would be in around this time because they would just be closing up, well Mr Maloney would be closing up._

_The bell went as I entered._

"_Sorry, we're closed," Mr Maloney said, looking up from his cleaning, "oh Jaden, what are you doing here?"_

_I looked at him and smiled, this was going to be tough._

"_Hey, Mr M," I said._

_There wasn't an easy to do this, so I just had to be blunt._

"_I need to tell you something," I said, looking at him._

_He was still smiling, actually, his smile grew even wider._

"_Ahh, yes, I've been expecting you," he said, taking off his gloves._

_He made his way round the counter and sat at one of the empty tables, motioning me to join him._

"_And, I accept your resignation," he said, as I started to sit._

_I stopped in the motion and looked at him, "You… you know?"_

_He laughed, "oh, course I do Jaden, your best friend is the biggest gossip on my staff, I was just waiting for you to come and see me."_

_He smiled and me and went to his pocket, "actually there was something I wanted to share with you, an idea I had."_

_I slowly sat in my seat as he moved the piece of paper towards me._

_On it outlined his idea…_

"_I was thinking, we do a duel tournament hosted by your card shop, except, your venue is the bakery," he said, looking at me._

_I smiled, that was a great idea. I could still be around the bakery but also, help out my business._

"_And we'll split the profit," I said, looking at him._

"_Of course," he said._

"_Well," I said, holding out my hand, "that sounds like a deal."_

_Mr Maloney smiled and shook, "it certainly does."_

The tournament was just the thing we needed, it gets publicity and I can still help out Mr Maloney.

Honestly though, I don't think we need the money.

I mean, I know we don't need it.

It was just about Solomon…

Yes, we gave him the money for the cards, but it was more than that.

I wanted to do him proud.

After everything he had done for me, even if it was something small, he had passed his legacy on and I wasn't going to let him down.

The finance it was important, obviously, but really it was all about making Solomon proud.

Alexis was still working out all the finances, as you could tell by her reaction.

They weren't even a problem; they weren't going to be a problem.

I just wanted to know for the surprise I had planned…

I was going too…

"Jaden," Alexis said snapping me out of my thoughts.

She looked at me confused.

"Huh?" I said, looking at her.

She sat up looking frustrated, "I said, how are you getting on with the cards?"

"Oh" I said, looking around the shop. In truth, I was almost finished.

"Yeah, almost there," I said, getting up, we had certainly had enough of a break.

"Okay," Alexis said, clapping her hands, "I'll go and see how Amalie is doing."

I continued on sorting cards for a while.

All I had left to do was sort out the different types of spell card.

It was fine, it just took a while.

Amalie and Alexis came down after a while, I was pretty sure they were slacking off a bit, but they were having a break apparently.

"Jaden," Amalie said, coming through the door, "will we get a discount on food at the bakery because of the tournament?"

I laughed, "Amalie, I didn't really get to discuss that with Henry."

Before she could reply, the bell on the front door went.

"Hiya," Alexis shouted, "we're not quite open yet. We will be soon though!"

"That's okay my dear, I only came to say hello," said an elderly voice.

I recognised it.

"Mr Cartwright," Amalie said, "what a surprise."

I put down everything I was doing.

"Please, please, call me Archie, I am a customer now after all," he said, smiling at us.

Behind him I noticed two other people I'd never met before.

"Ahh yes," Archie said, turning to face the other people, "I better introduce you; these are my grandchildren, Kyle and Sabrina."

I smiled at the two, they were definitely twins, you could tell they were related just by looking at them.

They were probably around our age as well, maybe slightly younger. They were probably old enough to have finished Duel Academy, that's for sure.

"Well," I said, wiping my hands with a cloth, there was a lot of dust involved in sorting through all the cards, "what brings you guys in today?"

Archie smiled at us as Sabrina started to wonder round, looking at the shop. Amalie smiled at me and went off to greet her, I knew she would be fine, she'd done that plenty of times before.

"Oh, nothing really, I just came to see how you were both doing, after all, you are two of my more, how do you say, 'wealthier' clients now."

I felt slightly embarrassed at his words, I didn't want to tell him about the money, well there wasn't really much too tell. I just never thought I would associate myself as wealthy this soon.

"And," he said, clapping his grandson on the shoulder, "Kyle here wanted to come and take a look, he's been coming here since he was a little boy."

"Oh, grandpa," he said, shaking his head, "sorry about him."

I laughed, "it's not a problem, your grandfather has been very kind to us."

"Well, that does sound like him," Kyle said, smiling and holding out his hand, "I'm Kyle, as my grandfather mentioned."

I shook his hand back with a smile, "nice to meet you Kyle."

I felt a presence stir behind me, which I knew was Yubel, but I didn't want to act strange in front of my potential new customers.

"Jaden," Yubel said, talking to me.

I knew I wouldn't be able to talk out loud, "what?"

"I've got a really funny feeling," she said, she circled out in front of me.

"Yeah, me too Miss Alexis," Dee said, going next to Yubel.

They started looking around the shop.

I didn't know if Alexis had replied, but I gathered she had.

"I don't know," Dee said, looking at everyone.

I couldn't feel a thing, nothing at all, and when Yubel and Dee could, usually I did as well.

"Honestly you two," I said, telepathically, one thing I had realised was that Dee could also hear my thoughts, "you're losing your minds, and I'm trying to talk to customers."

"Hmm," Yubel said, floating back away.

Dee did the same, without saying anything.

I looked back at Kyle who was intently staring in the direction of Yubel and Dee, "everything okay?"

Kyle looked at me confused, "oh yes sorry," he said half laughing.

He couldn't see the two duel spirits, could he?

He stepped away, looking around the shop, "I've just had so many good memories here."

I smiled, it was nice to hear people memories.

"We've been coming ever since we were little," Sabrina said, carrying over a few cards and placing them on the counter.

Alexis went around to serve her.

"I still remember buying my first deck," Kyle said smiling, "I just hope you have the treat of doing the same for other duellists, just as Solomon did for me."

I looked at Alexis and we smiled at each other.

That was what it was all about, making memories for people.

Archie, Kyle and Sabrina stayed and chatted for a while as we all worked, Alexis and Amalie had brought through the work they were doing so they could join in the conversation.

After a while, they bought all the cards they had selected, it was actually a weird mixture, none that seemed to go together, before they headed off.

Amalie left not long after them, she had been here all day with us, and we had planned on closing up soon anyway.

"Jaden," Alexis said, as I was packing away a few of the boxes that still needed sorting.

"Yeah?"

"We're going to make this work, aren't we?" she said, still looking at the work she was doing.

I hadn't really thought about her concerns much, but I guess this was one of them.

"Yeah course," I said, stacking the last box away.

I felt the fear in her voice, but it didn't seem like she was necessarily talking about the shop.

Then, for the second time today, the bell went on the door.

"Sorry, were about to close," I said spinning round.

I looked at the doorway, and I couldn't believe who was there.

Alexis looked at me, then at the doorway.

She dropped the brush she had in her hand.

"Isn't that a duel spirit?" she said.

"Yeah," I said, looking at it.

Except it wasn't just any duel spirit…

"Jaden, my man, sorry I was gone a while, I had some errands to run," DK said floating over to me.

He gave me and hug, well tried to anyway.

But it wasn't DK I was surprised at seeing, which was hard to believe, given how much I had worried about him over the past few days.

It was the person entering the shop behind him.

"Well," said the other person, "you've already made a load of changes to my grandpas' shop, I see."

I didn't know what to say…

It was…

Yugi Muto…

* * *

**Oh Lord, The King of Games has arrived!**

**I'm sorry if some of you don't agree with this decision, I know it isn't a crossover story, but I feel as though it is important he is here for the story moving forward.**

**Plus, who doesn't love a bit of Yugi Moto?**

**A few of you predicted this earlier in the story, but the big questions are, why is he here?  
**

**I'll guess you have to wait and find out….**

**However, hope you enjoyed, favourite and follow for updates, let me know about a sequel if you haven't already and stay safe,**

**Writey x **


	17. Revelations

**I'm back, it's time for the next chapter, I hope everyone is enjoying this so far.**

**Let's not waste any time and get straight into it.**

**Remember to favourite, follow and let me know about a sequel.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride, **

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Sometimes I really do amaze myself.

I can't believe I couldn't see the signs; they were their right in front of me.

The King of Games.

It all made sense now, but I don't know how I didn't get it in the first place.

I don't know what was more embarrassing; the fact that I didn't realise Yugi Muto and Solomon Muto were related, or I stood with my mouth wide open as he entered the shop.

It wasn't that I was awe struck…

Well maybe I was a little bit…

But I think I was disappointed to have been so oblivious…

I stayed, rooted to the spot for another few minutes…

Alexis's movement snapped me out of my daze, picking up the brush she was using.

"Mr Muto," I said, stepping forward, I suddenly felt very uncomfortable, as if I was trespassing.

Yugi stopped and looked at me.

Wow, I never thought I would be meeting eye-to-eye with one of the best duellists of all time.

"Jaden," Yugi said, stepping further into the shop.

Wait…

He knew my name…

He looked wise, a lot wiser than I had ever pictured, but then again when you're as good as him, you're bound to be quite bright.

"There's no need to be nervous around me," he said smiling.

It was true, I was nervous.

I was bound to be nervous, meeting one of my idols, but I took a second to compose myself.

He made his way to the front of the store; were we had added a lot of new things to make the shop look as inviting as it could.

He took one of the newly added chairs and sat down on it. We'd added them as part of the makeover, or rather to try and make the place feel more welcoming.

He held out his hand at the two other chairs and motioned for Alexis and I to sit down.

I knew mum would have dinner ready soon, but I couldn't just ignore him, or ask him to leave.

Alexis and I looked at each other and agreed to sit down, it wasn't as if we had a choice.

"There you are," said another female voice from behind us.

Dee shot out across the room heading straight for DK, "I've been wondering, where you had gotten yourself off too?"

DK was oblivious at first before Dee whacked him on the head.

"Oi," he said turning around looking rather angry. Once he saw Dee, his facial expression softened and he smiled at her, "oh hey sis, I see you finally decided to join us."

Dee mentioned to us how her and DK were related in some way but even she wasn't sure how, they had always just seen each other as family.

"Well, I could say the same for you," she said, hands on her hips, she looked as though she was about to give him a lecture.

"Well... err," DK said, not really sure what to say.

"He's been visiting me Delilah," Yugi said smiling towards her.

Dee spun her head to face the three of us and a big grin came across her face, "Yugi," she squealed, rushing over to us.

She went so fast that had she been a real person, she would have crashed right into the wall but instead went sailing through it.

Yugi laughed, "some things never change."

Delilah reappeared looking frustrated, "hmm, how come he got to go see you and I didn't?"

Yugi laughed harder, "you two are still the same, after all this time, I would have thought you would have stopped squabbling."

Alexis and I looked confused at one another as the conversation continued.

"Well, if he just used his real name, I wouldn't go on," Dee said, cross her arms again, clearly, she wasn't going to let this go.

They carried on for a while, first it was about the name, then about clothing. Both had decided to start wearing different clothing, but Dee didn't approve of DK's Khaki shirt, Hawaiian short combo.

"Well, I think I look rad," DK said, looking very pleased with himself.

"Since when did you use the term rad?" Dee said, just looking frustrated now.

"Ever since I went on this crazy journey to find our good pal Yugi here," he said, clapping his hands.

I had to agree with Dee, DK was talking very unlike himself.

"Oh, so that's where you went," I said, looking at him, "I thought you had left me or something."

DK's attention switched back to me, "oh no Jaden, I would never, well I can't anyway, but that's not the point."

Well it was nice to know that he wasn't just going to leave all of a sudden.

"That's partly the reason I'm here," Yugi said, switching the conversation.

It had been a pressing matter on my mind, whilst DK and Dee had been going on.

Yugi looked at both Alexis and I, he had several expressions mixed into one on his face and it scared me a little.

There'd always been a rumour that he showed no emotion, which made me even more concerned about our current situation.

"I should take you back to the start…" Yugi said, "DK, please?"

Yugi looked at DK who just nodded. He started to mumble some incantation and a blue mist started to swirl around Yugi, Alexis and me.

"Hey what's going on?" Alexis said.

The panic in her eyes made me reach out to protect her but the blue mist started to get thicker and thicker.

"Don't worry," Yugi said through the thickness of clouds, "he's not called Dark Magician for nothing."

Suddenly, I felt myself lifted into the air and then falling back down rapidly. Instead of hitting the floor however, there was a sharp stop and I was back on my feet, except I didn't know where I was.

Alexis, Yugi, DK, Dee and Yubel were all here, except, there was someone else here as well, Solomon Muto.

"Hey Solomon," I said. He didn't answer so I reached out a hand, but it passed straight through him.

"What the…"

"It's a hologram, or rather a memory," Yugi said, not blinking.

I was very confused, "So wait, we're in a memory, whose is it?"

Yugi kept looking towards the scene in front us, "mine."

We were in one of his memories, but why?

I watched the scene before me, Solomon was just sorting out some cards, when Yugi walked in…

_The doorbell went._

_Solomon looked up from the cards he was sorting as two men walked in._

"_Ahh Yugi," he said smiling._

"Is that Joey Wheeler?" I said, looking at Yugi.

He just nodded whilst continuing to watch.

"_Hey Grandpa," Yugi said, walking over to the desk. He wasn't much younger than he was now._

"_What are you doing here?" Solomon said, putting the stuff he was working on to one side._

"_Actually, I came to ask a favour of you," Yugi said, looking concerned._

_Suddenly, DK and Dee appeared behind Yugi and Joey._

"_No, I don't want any of your goo," Dee said, as DK flashed what appeared to be slime in her direction._

"_Oh, come on it's fun," DK said laughing._

"Are they?" I said, still trying to work out what was going on.

"Just watch Jaden," Yugi said. I suppose that's his way of telling me to shut up.

_Solomon smiled at the two, but Yugi still looked concerned._

"_What's the matter?" Solomon said._

_Yugi turned to look at DK and Dee before turning back to his Grandpa, "I need you to look after these two and their cards."  
_

_Solomon had a very shocked expression on his face, "what why? These are your prized cards and duel spirits. How long will I look after them?"_

_Yugi started to look sad before putting back on his stern expression. He also seemed reluctant. _

"_I can't… I can't tell you that otherwise you'll know, and I can't have that either, just promise that when the right person comes into the shop, you'll give them these cards."_

_Yugi handed his Grandpa over an envelope._

"_Wait… wait… you want me to give them away?" _

_Solomon looked very confused._

"_Can you do this for me Grandpa?"_

_Solomon looked at him, as if a look passed through them that only a Grandson and his Grandpa could have._

"_I understand," Solomon said._

_He took a tin from the top shelf and placed the cards inside, and DK and Dee disappeared._

Before I even had time to consider what I had seen, another blue mist appeared and we were in a different memory, in a different location, a home.

_The phone went and Yugi picked it up, "hello."_

_For a few minutes, he listened, and then nodded a bit, "okay, yeah, that is strange."_

_He took out a piece of paper and scribbled down the names, "what are the names of the people with the cards…. Jaden Yuki and Alexis Rhodes, okay, got it."_

_He continued to nod for a while longer._

"_Okay Grandpa, thanks for letting me know," he said before putting the phone down._

_Suddenly DK appeared floating besides Yugi, "it's starting to happen," said the magician._

_Yugi looked at him and smiled, "I know it is old friend, Grandpa just told me."_

_His facial expression changed, and he looked concerned, "we can't hang around there is a lot to be done."_

_He picked up the paper and put on his jacket._

_Suddenly, two sets of feet came bounding down a staircase._

"_Daddy!" they shouted._

_Yugi smiled and pulled them in as they came running to him, "hey, there's my girls, go on, back up too mummy, daddy just has to go out."_

_The girls looked sad but obliged._

"_Do it," Yugi said, as the girls disappeared up the stairs, DK started muttering another incantation and they were suddenly gone._

"Final one," Yugi said.

We were in a bank, but I had never seen the room before.

"_It's the only way this will work," Yugi said, tapping away on a computer._

"_But this is wrong," DK said, looking concerned, "we can't steal."_

"_DK, we're not going to steal, I'll use mine, he'll still get his money," Yugi said._

_DK still looked scared, but Yugi continued._

"_Do it," Yugi said._

_DK started to mutter again but this time there was no mist, just the computer started spinning and flashing._

_There was a rattle at the door handle of the room._

"_Quickly, DK," Yugi said, trying to look at the door._

_The computer stopped dead and switched off, "done," DK said._

"_Okay let's go…"_

The Blue mist surrounded us for the final time, before I felt myself lift back into the air.

I opened my eyes and I was back in the card shop, in the chair, as if I had fallen asleep.

"What was that?" I said trying to gather my thoughts.

I looked at Yugi, who was rubbing his head.

"It was you," Alexis said, looking shocked.

"What was him?"

I really needed to try to keep up with these things.

"It was," Yugi said, finally opening his eyes.

He looked slightly dazed, his eyes were red.

"But, why?" Alexis said.

I'd really had enough, "can one of you explain to me what is going on?"

"He did it Jaden," Alexis said.

That didn't explain anything.

I could see that Alexis was shaking, "he bought us the shop."

I looked at Yugi astounded…

Him…

He had bought the shop…

That's what the last scene must have been, him in the bank, but what did DK have to do with it.

"Let me explain Jaden," Yugi said, as if he had read my mind.

I nodded; it wasn't like I was going to argue to the only person who really knew the whole story.

"I know you're both confused, and there is only so much I can tell you," Yugi said, looking at DK who nodded.

"You're both part of something bigger than you know…"

Oh great, I don't like the sound of that.

I looked at Alexis, she didn't seem scared or worried, she seemed…. calm.

"What DK saw, it's part of something, that you will find out in due time, but this shop, it is linked to it and that is why I couldn't just let the shop be sold to anyone," Yugi said.

He seemed calmer now, as if revealing all this was taking away the pressure.

"I had to get you the shop, I didn't do anything wrong," Yugi said. It did sound like he was convincing himself, "and it seems to me like it was a good decision anyway."

"But it was your money," Alexis said.

I hadn't actually grasped that until then, Yugi had used his own money to help us.

"Well," Yugi said, standing up and walking around, "it was a good investment, plus I can be a sort of 'sponsor' I guess."

He turned around and smile at us.

I wasn't really sure what all of this meant, Yugi hadn't told us everything, but I wasn't about to push it.

But, that thing with DK, the magic, I didn't get it.

"They can both do it," Yugi said, looking at me, "they can both do the magic, I know that's what you're thinking. Different sort of stuff, but it's possible, I mean they are magicians after all."

I kept thinking of all these different scenarios where some magic could have helped…

Then why had this been the first time I had seen any of it?

"It doesn't just happen, it takes a special bond for all the magic to happen, for DK it will be with you Jaden and with Dee you Alexis."

"Dee, can do it too?" Alexis said.

"Too right," said Dee, appearing, "I can do it better than DK."

"No, you can't," DK said, appearing by my side.

"That's enough you two," Yugi said sitting down.

"Why hand in the cards?"

I had been dying to ask him.

They were special, special cards and he gave them up just like that.

Yugi's head sunk and he looked at his shoes.

"Your girls," Alexis said quietly.

Yugi looked back up and smiled, "when you have something as precious as I do, you want to protect it, and I don't know what danger anything like this," he pointed at DK and Dee, "could do to them."

"We are pretty dangerous," DK said, flexing his muscles.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Dee said, shaking her head.

Everyone started laughing at his antics.

"_It's all so mysterious this," Alexis mumbled._

"What did you say?" I said to Alexis, between laughs.

Yugi and Alexis stared at me.

"I didn't say anything," Alexis said.

"_What is he going on about?" she said again._

"See, you said something then."

She definitely said something then.

"Jaden," Yugi said, he seemed to have this deep, thoughtful look, "she didn't say anything?"

I know what I heard, Alexis definitely said something, they were probably just pranking me.

"Whatever," I said, getting up out of my chair, "does anyone want a drink?"

"Unfortunately, not," Yugi said and he rose to his feet, "I must be getting going, it'll be bath time soon."

I smiled; I knew how painful bath time could be.

Yugi looked at DK and Dee, "this is it you two, I want you to help Alexis and Jaden like you did for me."

Dee and DK smiled, "we will."

That was the first time they had agreed on anything all day.

Yugi stepped towards Alexis, "look after Dee, she loves the attention."

Alexis laughed, "I will."

Yugi then turned to face me, "and Jaden."

"Thank you," I said.

I wanted to say it before he said anything else.

"For everything," Alexis said, stepping besides me.

Yugi smiled, "you're welcome, just don't be thanking me yet."

I felt a chill go down my back. I felt as though there was some hidden message behind that.

Yugi turned and started to leave.

"Oh," he said, spinning to face us, "just promise me one thing?"

Alexis and I looked at each other, promise him what?

We both nodded.

"Be careful…"

Before we had a chance to reply, Yugi had already left…

"What did he mean by 'be careful'?" Alexis said.

"I don't know."

In truth, I really had no idea, there had been a lot to digest over the past few minutes.

"But all I know is that it probably won't be good."

We continued tidying for a while longer.

We didn't really say much.

I mean there was a lot to talk about, but I don't think either of us really felt like talking about it.

It bothered me how we had been thrusted into all this, like I didn't even get a choice.

Especially Alexis, she was trying to settle down in a new city and now she had all of this to contend with as well, not knowing what was even going to happen.

I didn't blame Yugi, Solomon or anyone for that matter.

It was all about that aura.

Like I can take it, I've been in these situations before, but Alexis, it just wasn't fair on her.

Once we had finished tidying there wasn't much else left to do.

It wasn't going to be long until the shop opened, but with everything we had been told, I wasn't sure whether it was smart to actually open.

"Do you want a lift home?"

That was the first proper thing Alexis had said to me since Yugi had left.

"Oh, no it's okay, I can walk," I replied.

I didn't really want to get into a conversation about everything.

"Jaden," Alexis said, coming closer to me, "let me lift you home, I don't want to be driving on my own."

I hadn't thought of it like that.

Maybe Alexis just wanted the company.

And I was being selfish.

"Yeah, okay."

I got into the car and Alexis, started to drive. The chat was nice, it was easy, we didn't talk about work, or what Yugi had said, we just talked about other stuff.

"How's your family?" Alexis asked as we pulled up outside.

"Why don't you come and ask?" I said.

I had become accustomed to Alexis being around my family, I enjoyed her being there.

As we parked the car, I noticed the door open and my mum step outside.

That's weird, she never does that.

We got out the car…

Mum looked weird, as if she was acting or something.

"Jaden, Alexis, how was work today?" she said, sounding incredibly chirpy.

In fact, she never sounded like that at all.

"Yeah…. it was good"

She came outside and hugged both of us.

"Is everything okay mum?" I said.

"Oh yes Jaden," she said, giving me a strange a look, it was a look that convinced me otherwise.

"In fact," she said, as we stepped in the door, "there is actually someone here to see you, they are right through there in the front room."

That was strange, I wasn't expecting anyone.

To be honest, I had been hoping for a night off of guests and surprises.

I went around the corner and saw my entire family in the living room.

They all had exactly the same look as my mother.

But that wasn't the most surprising part of all…

"Ahh, Mr Yuki, you're a hard man to find…"

How did he know my name?

How did he know where I lived?

What was going on?

I looked at him in the eyes…

This was definitely the last person I expected to see at my house…

"Victor?"

* * *

**There you go...**

**Another chapter bites the dust, it's starting to heat up a little as well.**

**I hope you all enjoyed, remember to follow, favourite and let me know about a sequel.**

**Until then, take care.**

**Writey x**


	18. A Gathering Of Family

**Hi everyone.**

**Hope you're still with me, we keep plugging away.**

**The story will start to get a bit more intense soon, so be prepared for some heavy chapters coming up.**

**I'll keep going, I'm trying to get the finished article to you as soon as, but you'll have to bare with me.**

**However, let's get right down into the business.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

He sat there drinking his tea.

I didn't even know Russian's drank tea.

As the last dribble hit his tongue, I felt myself getting more frustrated.

"Ahh," he said, as he finished his drink, "thank you my dear."

My mother cautiously took the cup from him and left the room.

My parents had taken Josh and Tessa outside, they didn't want them to be around Victor, especially if the conversation got heated. He had been here for a while now apparently, just making light conversation, but it was all rather suspicious.

Victor slumped back in his chair, and I felt myself get angrier.

"What do you want Victor?" I said.

Victor grinned at me, "well, the kid has some fight, that's going to be useful."

I looked at him confused, "what do you mean?"

I'd never seen Victor concerned up until that point.

His facial expression changed instantly, his grins and smirks disappeared.

He slowly sat up to move closer to Alexis and I, and that's when it really start to hit me just how much he had aged.

He definitely looked older, I could have told you that from the TV but in person, it really hit home.

His skin, face, his posture, even his clothing was completely different. He just looked older; 15 years older.

"Kid," he said, looking at me, "do you really think I'm here to cause trouble?"

I looked at him, he actually didn't, but I still didn't trust him.

"Why are you here?"

I said it slowly, cautiously, I didn't want to give away any fear in my voice.

He laughed slightly, "you know, after being alone for 15 years, I thought it would have been nice to have some company for a change."

"What do you mean, alone for 15 years?"

Alexis hadn't said a word, she had just been studying him. Zane had told her all about the confrontation at their duel and that he went missing after.

Victor rolled his eyes, "oh come on sweet cheeks, surely you can figure it out?"

Alexis looked at him. I could tell she was both annoyed and confused. It probably didn't help being called 'sweet cheeks' either.

Victor waited a second before continuing, "fine, settle down children, it's story time."

If him being here wasn't making me angry already, then his sarcasm and persona certainly were.

Alexis and I sat forward, as much as I wanted him to leave, I wanted to know why he had come in the first place.

"Right," Victor said, looking at us, "that night, when I disappeared, someone, or rather, something was in my room waiting for me."

"So, Zane is innocent?"

I looked at Alexis, I had been wondering the same thing.

Victor laughed again, "you two are funny, of course he is, Truesdale doesn't have the spine for anything like that."

Thank god it wasn't Zane…

"Anyway, where was I…" Victor looked confused for a second, "oh yeah, so I passed and woke up, somewhere so strange, but this is where it gets even more confusing."

He was certainly taking his time…

"I don't remember anything…"

He looked sad, Victor Stoichiev looked sad.

I looked at him, "you don't remember anything?"

He looked up at me, and I was sure his eyes were wet, "I know, it actually makes me sad, 15 years of my life taken from me and I can't remember anything about it."

In that moment, I looked at Victor and realised it was all an act, the macho man, he was actually just like everyone else.

I went and sat next to him and put an arm over him.

I looked at Alexis who had this beautiful smile as she stared at me.

She had actually been more and more in thoughts recently, even with all the card shop stuff, and it was all getting very confusing.

I felt Victor push off me and I moved back to my seat.

He wiped his face and looked at me, with that concern again…

"There is only one thing I can really remember…. And that is your name Jaden Yuki."

I felt my entire body tense…

My name?

Why could he remember my name?

"That is why I came… to warn you," he said, slowly getting to his feet.

I felt sick….

Why could he only remember my name?

Victor started to head out of the room but turned before leaving, "just be careful, yeah?"

I was sure Alexis nodded, but everything seemed a blur to me at this point.

I'm pretty sure Victor left, if he hadn't, I was in for a surprise later.

My parents had come inside and started talking to Alexis about everything, but I hadn't said a word.

That night, I went to bed early, I hadn't said goodbye to Alexis, goodnight to my family.

I just couldn't get the dread of what Victor had told me out of my thoughts.

Why had my name been the only thing he could remember?

* * *

The next few days had come and gone.

There wasn't really anything exciting to happen, we just continued to sort out the card shop.

I guess I didn't mind it that way, actually not having anything going on, it had been a while since I had some form of peace.

Well, peaceful enough…

I hadn't been able to sort all my thoughts out.

Everything that I had learned…

The card shop.

Yugi.

Stoichiev.

There was so much to contemplate.

Even with everything I went through at Duel Academy, this was a lot.

Yet something kept me grounded, a constant, and that was Alexis.

We were spending more and more time with each other as the days went on, and I found myself feeling at peace when she was around.

I found myself feeling happier, wanting to be around her more and every conversation I wanted to impress her.

Like, when have I ever tried to impress her?

It was all becoming more focussed, my feelings, they were all merging into something, that thing…

I had no idea what it was.

But all I knew was I enjoyed our time together.

Speaking of spending time together, we had really started to collect a workforce for the shop.

Joshie had been helping around the shop more, now that we had offered him a job.

Mum and Dad had been especially grateful given the amount of time he was spending at home.

Amalie had been around constantly, whenever we were there, she was as well.

We basically looked at her as part of management anyway.

Josh and Amalie had actually been getting on really well. Amalie had said she had seen him as a sort of younger brother which made me smile. I think she secretly wanted to be part of our family.

They had just been doing odd tasks, there had only really been odd tasks to do. We were almost done in truth.

It had been largely down to the help from Kyle and Sabrina. The two of them had been in and around the shop most days and would help whenever they could.

They were both actually really useful, I think them being around the shop for so long had made them get to know the ins and outs of it all.

As much as Josh got on with Amalie, he was the opposite with Kyle, both of them didn't see eye to eye.

I think they both wanted to boss each other around, and it wasn't working.

They even had a few confrontations about it all.

In the end, the only way I could break everything up was by making them do different tasks.

Yubel, Dee and DK had still been moaning about a strange presence in the shop.

They had said it wasn't good, and as if it was always around, but I still couldn't sense a thing.

Alexis couldn't sense anything either, which made me think they were starting to lose their touch a little bit.

"Done," Alexis said, coming out of the back room. She was trailed by Amalie and Kyle.

Me, Josh and Sabrina were sat, chatting about duelling.

"Done?"

I didn't really know what that meant.

"We're ready, it's opening time."

I almost spat out the part of a sandwich I was eating.

"Wait, just like that?"

I hadn't even thought about the prospect of opening the shop.

"Yeah, unless you had anything else to do."

Alexis gave me a knowing look.

She was right, everything was ready, but I wasn't sure.

With everything going on, was it safe to open the shop.

"I don't know…"

I gave Alexis a look and she smiled. I knew she would understand where I was coming from.

"Oh, don't worry Jay," Josh said, standing up, "we're ready."

"Yeah," Amalie said, "plus, all this sorting with you lot is starting to get boring."

She nudged Josh and I was sure he blushed slightly.

"Yeah," Sabrina said, "you'll be great."

I felt someone clap my shoulder, "exactly, Sabrina and I will be in every day."

I turned and saw Kyle smiling at me.

For someone who could get so angry, he was actually a really caring person.

That gave me and idea…

"Well then, let's do it!"

Everyone cheered, but I waited for them to settle.

"On one condition…"

Alexis looked at me questioningly.

"Everybody here is now a member of staff," I said with a smirk.

Amalie, Josh and Alexis gnawed at me, before turning to face Kyle and Sabrina.

It was safe to say they were both stunned.

"You're... you're offering us a job, really?"

Sabrina seemed stunned, but Kyle was grinning from ear to ear.

"You can count me in," he said, "man, this I going to be awesome."

"_What's he up to?" Alexis said._

"Huh?"

I looked at Alexis for an answer.

"Jaden," Amalie said, "she didn't say anything."

Everyone was staring at me like I was weird, but I knew what I'd heard.

Alexis had definitely said something, I was sure of it.

This had a happened a few times recently, hearing Alexis when she hadn't actually said anything. It had been ever since Yugi had visited and I was beginning to wonder whether I was losing the plot.

"I'll do it," Sabrina suddenly said.

Everyone quickly adverted their gaze away from me and towards Sabrina.

"I'll do it," she said, sounding more confident, "I'll take the job."

Everyone cheered and clapped.

"Well then," I said, "that settles it, we have ourselves a workforce."

They all started to congratulate each other, but Alexis came straight over to me.

"Jaden," she said, in a lowered tone, "are you sure about this?"

I looked at her confused, what did she mean?

"Yeah, why?"

Alexis looked back at the others, "I don't know, I just have a feeling, what about what Dee and the others have been saying, having everyone around might not be the greatest idea."

Before I had the chance to answer, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

"One second," I said to Alexis.

As I looked down at my phone, I saw Alexis out the corner of my eye walk away.

"OH YES!"

I looked up and saw my brother doing some form of dancing.

Well, trying to dance anyway.

I looked down at my phone and realised that the message was in the family group chat…

_ JoshYuki ItsYaBoyJaden_

_Meet N'Duel tomorrow, your father forgot to tell me, can you grab some things on your way home x_

My mum had sent another message just after with a shopping list, but at the bottom there was a more prominent message.

_Oh ItsYaBoyJaden invite Alexis as well please x_

Josh had already asked and explained to Alexis what a Meet N'Duel was before I even had a chance to talk.

There was one final message.

_Oh yeah, it's everyone as well by the way._

The little kid inside of me started to get excited.

Everyone!

Oh boy, it's Meet N'Duel time!

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

What a few days.

The card shop, Dee, meeting Yugi and Victor Stoichiev showing up.

It had all been so crazy.

At first, I thought I was losing my mind, being able to talk to Dee.

I mean who wouldn't think they were crazy, being able to talk to duel monsters.

But, actually, everything really had begun to grow on me.

Well, Dee had that was sure.

Yeah okay, she went on a little bit.

But she was actually just what I needed.

It was funny, she could read my thoughts, even when I didn't want her to read my mind.

She knew everything about me, I knew everything about her.

We had so much time to get to know each other, that I almost saw her as my best friend.

She had worked out straight away that I liked Jaden.

I mean it's not hard.

Especially when she can read my mind.

She liked to tease me, privately of course, but still, it didn't help that I was around him all the time.

Clearly, my feelings towards him hadn't changed.

If anything, they were showing even more.

I just liked being around him, I liked the attention he would occasionally give me and having him there.

After the conversations with Yugi and Victor, he had been acting strange.

I mean I wasn't surprised.

He was just acting strange around me.

But then, I wasn't exactly being truthful to him either.

I had just arrived at the Yuki's house.

I had been invited to a family tradition of theirs…

The Meet N'Duel.

I was actually looking forward to it.

It had been a while since I had done anything like this.

My family and I had never really been that close, except for my relationship with Atticus, so doing things like this was actually a real treat for me.

There had been a lot of preparation done apparently.

Jaden and Josh had left early. Apparently, they had to go and collect a number of things for their mum on the way home and I had gone to grab a few things for my tea, which meant Amalie had offered to lock up.

I looked at the Yuki's house in front of me.

I hadn't been able to park in my usual spot, in fact I hadn't been able to park in any spot at all, I'd ended up halfway up the close.

It was safe to say there were going to be quite a few people inside, given the number of cars outside.

I had been told that the Yuki family was rather large.

Heck, that didn't surprise me one bit.

From what I had gathered, these Meet N'Duels were just fun family events. Josh had explained to me all about it yesterday. It wasn't competitive. It just got heated. That's what he had said.

I made my way to the front of the house and knocked.

I'd never had to knock before, it felt strange.

I waited a few seconds before the door opened and a large stocky man answered.

It was safe to say, I'd never met him before.

"Ahh," said the man, looking at me, "you must be my opponent."

I was very confused; I'd never been greeted like that before.

"Err..."

I didn't really have a response to that.

"Who is this strange man," Dee said, hovering over my shoulder.

No idea.

I'd learned not to just talk out loud to my duel spirit, people looked at you funny.

"Oh Wilt, you don't want to be scaring away the competition," said a familiar voice.

Malcom Yuki stepped into the doorway besides the man who was apparently called Wilt.

"Well," said Wilt, walking away, "there is no harm in confusing the opposition."

Malcom laughed at him before turning back to me, "hey Alexis."

He reached in and gave me a quick hug.

That was another thing I loved about being here, was how welcome the Yuki's made me feel.

"Please excuse my brother, he can get competitive," Malcom said, releasing me.

He started to make his way inside and I did so too, shutting the door behind me.

We made our way outside and it sure was a sight to behold.

There must have been about 30 people, all looking rather relaxed and drinking cocktails. Well most were drinking cocktails, others had larger, some had cider, but you catch my drift.

I tried to spot the Yuki's, which was hard in all this.

Well, I suppose everyone was a Yuki, but I meant the Yuki's I know.

I'd already found Malcom, who had started conversation with people beside me.

I looked around and spotted Josh, talking with two people who looked to be about his age.

I finally found Susan and Tess, who were sat chatting. Well, Susan was chatting, and Tess was sleeping.

I looked a little longer but couldn't spot the final Yuki.

"Aww, are you worried about Jaden?"

"Hah, very funny Dee," I said back. I hoped no one was listening in, that would have been embarrassing.

"Everybody," Malcom shouted from beside me, "this is Alexis, our final competitor."

Malcom lifted up my hand, and everybody cheered, much to my embarrassment.

"Now, let's get this thing underway."

Jaden finally showed after a few minutes, apparently, he had spilt drink his top and had to replace it with another.

"Hey," he said, coming to sit next to me, "glad you could make it."

I felt my skin tingle as Jaden got closer to me, he was actually closer than he usually sat, not that I noticed those things or anything.

"Who's winning?"

I looked up at the duel arena, it was two people that I had never met before.

"Umm, the guy in the orange shirt," I said. I wasn't completely sure, but he was winning at one point.

"Ahh, I'm not surprised, he's usually in till the end," Jaden said, leaning forward.

He seemed quite invested.

"Who are these people?"

I'd been meaning to ask Malcom, but I didn't get a chance to do so.

"Oh, just all of my family," he said, not averting his gaze from the duel.

I'm pretty sure I made some weird noise and Jaden started laughing.

Whilst the duel was going on, he explained to me who the people were.

It was safe to say there wasn't 30 people.

Wilt and Chrissy, Malcom's oldest brother and his wife.

They had two children, Chad and Loralee.

Duncan and Quinn, Malcom's younger brother and wife.

They had one child called Hermione.

Kim and her husband, Clarke.

Kim was Malcom's only sister.

They had three children, triplets called Hugo, Vince and Dexter.

Then finally, there was Trish, Susan's sister.

Her husband, Stuart was up duelling now, against their son, Tristan, who was in the orange shirt.

The Meet N'Duel was actually a lot of fun, it was well organised, and I didn't actually do that badly.

I got pretty far, but what you have to understand is that all of Jaden's family are very good.

Like, I'm good, but they're better.

I was actually surprised; Jaden hadn't taken part.

Well, I was, and I wasn't.

I know that he had stopped duelling, but I expected him to do it in his downtime.

"You know, he's not been himself lately," said someone next to me.

I'd been so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't seen Susan come and sit next to me.

"I know," I said, staring at the back of his head.

It did really bother me that he wasn't himself.

"How long?"

I looked at Susan, I had no idea what she was getting at.

"Huh," I said back.

"How long have you had feelings for Jaden?"

I almost spat my piña colada all over the floor at that comment, "umm, what?"

I was stunned, like I know she's his mother, but I wasn't really that obvious around her. I wasn't obvious around any of his family.

"I beg to differ," said Dee, who was giggling beside me.

I completely ignored her; I didn't need this right now.

Susan laughed, "oh Alexis, don't worry, I don't plan to say anything."

I felt myself go red, I suppose it was bound to happen at some point, I just hadn't told a lot of people. In fact, I'd barely told anyone.

"Probably since the reunion, well, known about them anyway," I said quietly.

I was acting as if it was my first day in a brand-new school, being all shy and quiet.

Susan sat and pondered for a while, smiling occasionally, "it sounds like when I realised, I liked Malcom."

"How come?"

"Well," she said, turning to face me, "it just sort of happens, you can't control it, you don't remember it happening, but you know it's real."

I sat and thought about those words for a minute. She was right it was pretty much exactly how it had happened.

I smiled at her, "yeah, that sounds about right."

"Everybody, can I have your attention please?"

I spun round to see Malcom, stood on a chair, shouting above everyone.

"Oh dear," Susan said, putting her hand to her face, "he's had one to many drinks."

I giggled; it was quite clear he'd had a few to drink.

"Susy… Susy…"

At this point he was slurring.

Susan just melted further into the chair.

"Alright, get on with it," shouted Wilt.

Everyone started to laugh, but Malcom persisted, "Susan, come up here."

At this point I thought he was going to drag her up there.

I felt a vibration go off in my pocket, but I didn't want to miss this.

"You better go mum," Jaden said, coming up to us, "you know he won't stop."

Susan sighed and slowly rose to her feet before making her way to the front.

"There she is, round of applause everyone," Malcom said, hugging his wife.

Everyone gave a muted round of applause.

"Now," he said, readjusting, "my beautiful wife and I would like to congratulate Duncan on victory in the Meet N'Duel."

Duncan made his way to the front to collect his trophy and prize.

Yes, they had trophies and prizes.

"Secondly," he said, scanning the crowd.

He looked around until he locked eyes with me and Jaden.

"_Oh god," Jaden said, "what is he doing?"_

"What was that?" I said in reply.

"Huh, nothing," he said back.

That was weird, I was sure I heard him say something.

"We would like to announce," Malcom said, still looking at Jaden and I, "that there will be a party tomorrow to celebrate my son, Jaden, opening his new business, alongside the wonderful Alexis Rhodes, and you are all invited."

I tensed.

They were hosting a party for us…

Everybody swivelled and clapped, whistling as well.

Jaden stood, and I followed, soaking in the applause.

"Oh, look at you," Dee said, "take it all in."

I could tell she was jealous, but I didn't care.

As the round of applause died down, Malcom gave everyone the details.

Everybody dispersed, going back to their original conversations and Malcom and Susan came over to us.

"Sorry about him," Susan said, hugging me and Jaden, "we weren't meant to do it like that."

"Oh Susy," Malcom said, "Syrus and Zane told us to tell them however we wanted."

"Syrus and Zane?"

Yeah, I was wondering that as well.

"Syrus and Zane helped us organise it, they'll be here tomorrow, with all your friends," Susan said.

I started to get more and more excited, everyone was going to be together again, just like the reunion.

I felt my phone go off in my pocket again, so I excused myself and checked it quickly.

I started to look through the messages.

"Wait, this makes no sense," I said to myself.

I checked over the phone again.

I felt someone come behind me.

"What's wrong?"

Oh no…

Jaden…

How could I explain this to him?

I slowly turned around to face him.

"Jay.. Jaden… I don't know what happened…"

I felt myself getting emotional…

How had I already managed to screw things up?

"What happened Alexis?"

I looked at him, this wasn't going to go down well…

I took a deep breath…

"We've had money stolen…"

* * *

**Taa Daa!**

**Another chapter chalked off, let me know what you thought.**

**I hope you all enjoyed that one, it took some careful planning.**

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**Writey x**


	19. The Party: Part 1

**Hey gang, number 19, almost onto the home straight.**

**I hope everybody has been enjoying the story, it's almost coming to the finale.**

**Sorry, it took a while to get this one up, with everything going on, I've been rushed off my feet with my studies but they are almost over so hopefully, I'll get back to normality soon.**

**Again, sequel, I want to hear from a few more people before I think about it, so please let me know.**

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**Let's get cracking, shall we?**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Maybe it is the alcohol talking, but this party was going well.

I mean, I'd had a great start to the weekend in truth, with the Meet N'Duel and now a celebration. I even finished work early on the Friday, which never happened.

Well, I mean am I my own boss now, so I can finish whenever I want, but that's not the point.

It had just been a really good weekend, and it was only just getting started.

Yesterday was good; I mean really good.

I was actually nervous. Not because my all my family were round; I'm fine around them, it was because Alexis was meeting everyone for the first time.

I mean she already knew, mum, dad, Josh and Tess but meeting the rest of my family all at once, that was quite a daunting task, but I think she enjoyed herself, that's what she said anyway.

It shouldn't have bothered me as much as it did, bringing her to meet the family, but it did. I mean we were just friends, but something inside of me, wanted them to like her and for her to get on with them.

They're all quite crazy, every Yuki is, but I wasn't sure how it was going to go. My Uncle Wilt is probably the worst, he can just say anything at any point, he's a loose cannon.

She did really well in the tournament as well. My family are super competitive so for her to get as far as she did was very impressive. There's always drama, intensity so for her not to be put off is actually quite a miracle.

Uncle Dunc won again…

He won last time as well…

He's probably the best…

Just…

I reckon if I entered, I could win…

That was one thing that, through all of this hadn't changed yet, was my duelling passion.

Don't get me wrong, it has definitely improved; I own a card shop now, how couldn't I love duelling.

I just didn't have that spark to compete against others yet.

I feel like I'm missing something, I'm not sure what but I know, with time, it'll come back I'm sure.

There wasn't any secret remedy, but I was sure time would be the best cure.

I looked out across the people at the card shop opening celebration.

We had decided to host it at the shop, it just felt right for it to be hosted here.

All my family had stayed the weekend. It was nice, I didn't expect them too, but they had been adamant.

Heck, some of them had even bought stuff, on a family and friend discount of course.

It wasn't just my family that had shown up, loads of my friends were here as well.

Syrus and Jesse had come, obviously.

I mean it was their roommate who was opening the shop alongside me.

Atticus had stayed around for the party, having helped get the shop ready.

Zane had showed, but he didn't seem himself, which was quite strange.

Everybody from the reunion had turned up as well, which was especially surprising.

Shirley had been a huge hit.

Jim had said that Shirley'd had a few drinks before they'd arrived which was why she was so calm, although, I'd never actually seen a wild Shirley before.

There were so many different personalities here, something that made me warm inside, the fact that the shop was already bringing so many people together.

I looked across the room, I was stood in a conversation with Hassleberry and Syrus about Duel Academy but had found myself distracted.

I'd been watching Alexis for a little while.

Not in a weird way, just making sure she was alright.

She'd been upset ever since the money situation yesterday.

I'd tried telling her that we would sort it together, but I could tell she was upset about it.

I knew what it was; she felt like a failure.

I excused myself from the conversation with Syrus and Hassleberry, but I didn't think they heard me over their own arguing.

"You know," I said making my way over to Alexis, "the person who owns this shop shouldn't be stood on their own."

She turned to face me and smiled.

That had been the first time she had smiled today.

"Co-own this shop, Mr Yuki," she said, with a cheeky look on her face.

I smiled back, "well, that is true, cheers to that."

We both held out drinks up before taking a sip.

A choke erupted from my mouth and Alexis laughed, also choking on her drink in the process.

We both started laughing.

Alexis looked at me, with a look I'd only ever seen once before, at the reunion, on the dancefloor.

She curled a piece of her hair around her finger…

I swear she looked… nervous.

"Jaden… there's… there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

I felt myself getting butterflies, but I didn't mind it for a change.

I wasn't sure why I was getting butterflies, but they were there.

"I... I..."

"Can I have everyone's attention please?"

Great…

Perfect timing as always from my father.

I looked over to my dad, who had stood up on one of the chairs at the front of the shop.

It was clear he'd had a few drinks, similar to yesterday.

He was clearly enjoying the weekend.

A silence fell across the room, and I could see my father's chest stick out a little further.

"I like too…"

He wobbled slightly on the chair.

There were a few snickers from the crowd, which I knew would be my uncles.

"I'd like to say a toast, to Jaden and Alexis."

His eyes diverted towards us, and everybody span to face us as well.

"It's fair to say they've done a tremendous job. When I first heard about this, I wasn't sure, but I never doubted my son…"

I felt my heart swell, as my father looked at me. He looked proud.

"There's so many words I want to say, but all I want you to know Jaden, is that I'm proud of you, whatever happens."

I could see the emotion on his face, and I tried to keep mine under wraps.

"And Alexis, ever since I first met you, you've been so strong and caring, kind and polite. I don't think you have a bad bone in your body."

There were a few laughs from the crowd, Alexis included.

"I know, that you and Jaden will make a fine team. I think, however it came about, you are the right people for this new adventure…"

He glanced down to his right and nodded, "but there is someone who can speak about this slightly better than I can."

Dad stepped down from the chair, and someone else stepped up in his place.

A few murmurs went around the crowd as Solomon Muto was helped up onto the chair.

"Thank you my dear," he said, acknowledging someone up the front with him.

He looked at us and beamed, "I like what you've done with the place."

Alexis and I laughed, looking at each other. It was clear Alexis was getting emotional, I could see the tears in her eyes.

"Ahem," Solomon said, clearing his throat, "I've only met a few of you, but for anyone who doesn't know me, I'm Solomon Muto."

Louder murmurs came from the crowd and Solomon let them die down before talking again, "never in my wildest dreams, did I think I'd be in this position, watching two other people take over my shop, but these two…"

He smiled and pointed at us.

"These two are about to set out on a real adventure."

Solomon gave us a strange look, as if that meant something more.

"But all I want to say is good luck, and I'm here with you."

Solomon was handed a glass and lifted it into the air.

Silence followed.

"Too right, to Jaden and Alexis," shouted my uncle Wilt, who broke the silence lifting his glass in the air.

A loud, "here, here," erupted and everyone else lifted their glasses into the air as well.

I smiled and looked around the room. I felt immense happiness at that moment. Everything was right.

I looked back at the makeshift chair to see my dad had replaced Solomon once more.

"Jaden," he said smiling at me, "want to say anything?"

This was it…

I'd been waiting to be able to share this with people…

I hated keeping it a surprise, even if it was only less than 24 hours.

Everybody looked at me.

"Ermm," I said, I don't know why, but it was making me nervous.

"Go on," Alexis said, giving me a little nudge.

I smiled, that was all the encouragement I needed.

"Come up with me," I said, looking at Alexis.

She hesitated, before slowly following behind me.

I got a few pats on the back on the way up.

I reached the front and looked at my dad.

He stepped down and wrapped me in a hug.

This was the first time he'd done that in public…

I hesitated for a second before hugging back.

"Go on," he whispered, moving out my way and standing next to my mum and Alexis.

I looked at the makeshift podium, before climbing up onto it.

I stood on the chair and looked out at the people. I hadn't realised how many people were actually here.

I took a moment…

"Umm, thank you, dad and Solomon, you don't know how much those words means to us."

I looked down at Alexis who nodded.

"And thank you to all of you, everyone in this room is important to us, in one way or another and we wouldn't want to celebrate this with any other people."

I looked around the room, but everyone stayed silent, as if waiting for me to continue.

Perfect…

"There are a few things I wanted to do first, before we carry on with this party."

I stepped off the chair and moved another three next to it.

Blimey, it was basically a makeshift stage.

I got back up on my chair and looked towards my parents, "come on you two, up you come."

My parents looked at each other, they were sceptical.

They slowly walked towards the chairs. My mum mouthed a 'what are you doing' at me but I said nothing.

They stepped up onto the chairs and looked out across the room.

"These are my parents, for anyone who hasn't met them, Malcom and Susan," I said, "they've been there for me through good and bad times, but always there and I decided it was time to do something to thank them."

I stepped down off the chairs and turned to face my parents.

"Mum, dad," I said, with all my heart, "thank you."

I held out a piece of paper and gave it to them.

They studied it for a minute, and then both almost fell of the chairs.

"No way…"

My mum looked at me and my dad did a double take, "is this real?"

I smiled and nodded.

"What is it?"

That was probably uncle Dunc, he's always nosey.

My parents stayed silent, so I answered for them, "I err… I paid off their mortgage."

A silence fell around the room…

And then a clap broke out, whistles as well, screaming, the lot.

My parents got down from the chairs and came over to me, "thank you son."

My dad brought me in for the second hug in under five minutes and mum joined in as well.

I felt a tug at my legs and looked down to see Tessa there.

I smiled and picked her up.

"I know, you feel left out," I said, ruffling her hair.

"There is one other thing," I said, looking towards Alexis, Tess still in my hands, "Alexis."

I motioned for her to come over, "Syrus and Jesse, where are you?"

They both emerged from the crowd, looking sceptical.

"I didn't like lying to you Alexis," I said as they reached the front.

She looked at me, angry and confused.

I knew lying to her wasn't a good idea, but there wasn't any other way to do this.

I pulled out a second piece of paper from my trouser pocket and handed it to them.

All three scanned over it.

"Right everybody can go back to partying now," I said to the crowd.

But, nobody moved, as if waiting to see what was happening.

I turned back to the others and saw the silence.

"You paid off our house," Syrus said, as more of a statement, "how?"

"I had a bit of spare change," I said jokingly.

Jesse looked at me and smiled, "you are full of surprises aren't you Yuki."

He came over and we embraced.

I had been meaning to tell everyone earlier, but I'd only done it yesterday and with everything happening today, I gathered that this was the best time to do it.

Once Jesse released me, I looked at the other two and smiled.

I wasn't 100%, but I was sure Syrus was crying, happy tears of course.

Some things never change.

I went over to him, and put my hand on his shoulder, "you okay buddy?"

"Yeah," he said, smiling and wiping his face, "thank you."

I let go of his shoulder.

"Well," DK said, hovering over me, "that seemed a rousing success."

I smiled, "yeah buddy it did."

I turned back to crowd, standing on the chair, "now, everybody, thank you again for coming and I hope you enjoy the rest of the party."

I'd realised that people had already gone back to doing that anyway, but I thought I'd say it, you know, just so I was clear.

It was strange, I hadn't heard a word from Alexis since I'd given her the piece of paper, which in a way worried me.

Had I done the wrong thing?

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.

As I looked around, Alexis was there, and she was beaming.

"So…"

I smiled, "so…"

"I'm guessing this is the missing money?"

I laughed; I knew that would come up.

"Yeah," I said, "although, I did do a pretty good job of keeping it under wraps huh?"

Alexis laughed, "yeah you did, apart from giving me a heart attack in the process."

I laughed again, in fact, I was starting to realise I only ever laughed like this around Alexis.

"You know you didn't have too?"

I stopped laughing and looked at her, "yeah, but I wanted too."

She gave me a look, one of immense happiness.

"Thank you, Jaden," she said, before reaching out and pulling me in for a hug.

At that moment, everything suddenly felt right, all of this.

Being here, with everyone.

Opening this card shop.

But most of all…

Doing all of this with Alexis.

Then suddenly something clicked.

I don't know why…

But it did…

It all made sense, every feeling, every action, why I was doing these things…

I realised…

I had a crush on Alexis Rhodes…

Alexis pulled away and I felt myself go red.

I'm guessing this is what it feels like to have just hugged your crush.

"Are you okay?"

I suddenly felt myself get even more red in the face.

"Oh… umm yeah…"

God, how embarrassing…

Alexis studied me for a minute.

"Hey," she said, "about that thing I wanted to say earlier."

My heart started beating faster…

What was she going to say?

"Yeah?"

"I… umm..."

"Hey Alexis."

Oh, for crying out loud.

It was Zane.

"Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"

Zane looked at me and smiled.

"Oh, err, yeah," she said, moving towards him.

"Jaden," she said, just before going out of sight, "come and find me in a bit okay?"

I didn't get to answer before she disappeared out of view.

I spent a little while talking to more people, I mean it was my party.

As my conversations went on, my mind kept drifting to Alexis.

What had she wanted to say?

But the thing I couldn't get out of my head…

What about our friendship?

I didn't want it playing on my mind, so I just wanted to talk to her, I wasn't going to tell her about my feelings, I just wanted to know what she was going to say.

Was I that obvious?

I left my conversation, but I wished I hadn't now.

I started walking looking for Alexis, but when I finally found her, my heart almost sank to my feet.

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

I'm pretty sure the alcohol had been to blame, making me all confident today.

Well, I was going to blame it anyway.

I'd tried to tell Jaden I'd liked him not once but twice.

But I kept getting interrupted, which is why I currently found myself talking to Zane.

I didn't mind talking to Zane, but I'd really had the confidence to tell Jaden how I felt and, I don't know when I might have that same confidence again.

"Is there somewhere private we can talk?"

He'd said that as we were walking and given that we were at a very busy party, there weren't many options.

Luckily, after a while, I'd found an area, quiet and closed off enough but still with a view of the party.

I didn't want this conversation to lag, I was desperate to talk to Jaden.

"So," Zane had said.

He looked slightly nervous…

I'd never seen Zane nervous…

"Is everything okay Zane?"

"Yeah," he said back to me, "there's just something I wanted to tell you."

He paused for a minute, "Alexis… I like you."

I smiled, "well that's a good job, we've been friends forever."

Zane's face twisted.

"No, Alexis, you're not hearing me properly, I like you, like, have strong feelings for you. I've been dying to tell you for a while now."

I paused for a minute, shocked.

Wait, what?

"You're serious," was all I could say back.

"Why would I lie about this Alexis, I love you."

I could hear the emotion in his voice, but my head was spinning.

Zane was telling me he loved me right now, just when I was about to tell Jaden how I felt about him.

I looked at Zane.

There was no denying he was attractive, but I just didn't feel the same.

I only had eyes for one person.

I realised I'd been quiet for a relatively long time, which meant an awkward silence for Zane.

"Um, Zane listen, you know I care about you a lot, but I just don't think I feel the same way."

Okay, that may have been harsh.

In my head it sounded better.

Zane's eyes dropped to the floor, before returning to mine, with a different look, it wasn't anger, or hurt, it was passion.

"I can do you better," he said.

"What?"

"You know what I mean Alexis," Zane said.

I knew what he meant; this was about Jaden.

"Alexis, he left you, alone on that clifftop, and I was there to pick up the pieces after, I've always been there," he said, getting closer to me.

I couldn't move because his words made sense, event though I wanted to back away.

"Let me treat you right, let be there for you, always."

Suddenly, without giving me time to react, Zane leant in and planted a kiss on my lips.

Give him credit, it was good…

Wait, what am I thinking!

He held it for a few seconds before I backed away.

"Zane," I said in disbelief.

His eyes dropped to the floor once more, "I'm sorry, I at least wanted to feel it once."

I stood there for a second, not wanting to move.

What had happened…

I felt another pair of eyes coming from the corridor leading to the party.

It was as if they were burning my head…

And to be honest with you I wish they had.

I looked at the person and every fibre of my body went cold.

Oh no…

"Oh dear," Dee said in my mind, "you're in trouble now."

Dee, not helping.

She was right though, this was bad…

Because the person staring directly at us…

Was Jaden Yuki…

* * *

**Man, just when things were going right for the two of them, poor Jaden, and oh dear Alexis.**

**What did you guys think anyway? I hope you enjoyed that one.**

**Again, let me know about a sequel, I'm still debating it.**

**However, I can't give you a time scale on the next chapter, just don't sweat it will arrive.**

**Anyway, look after yourselves, **

**Writey x**


	20. The Party: Part 2

**Hey guys,**

**It's been a while hasn't it?**

**Well, actually well over a month…**

**Sorry about all that, I just had major deadlines for University, but thankfully now I have finished, so hopefully there will finally be some time for me to do this story!**

**I don't know how regular updates will be, but I'll try to stick to it as best as possible.**

**Favourite and follow for more updates, reviews are welcome, especially given how long it's been.**

**I'm sure nobody needs to be reminded of what happened in the chapter, if not then make sure to go back and read it…**

**This chapter is heavy…**

**There also won't be an outro to this chapter…**

**But you'll understand why…**

**Enjoy chapter 20…**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

I'm not the kind of person to regret my actions.

I see everything as a learning curve, or a lesson.

But, something inside me told me that this was something I was going to regret straight away…

I didn't a get chance to say anything before Jaden disappeared into the crowd of people at our party.

I stood frozen for a minute, just trying to register what had happened…

Zane had kissed me…

At first, I had been shocked, then I didn't mind it, then I felt anger.

I looked at him.

He had also noticed Jaden, but hadn't really had a reaction to it, something I wasn't pleased with.

Why'd he done that?

I'd clearly told him how I felt, but he still went and did it anyway…

As much as I was angry at him, I couldn't stay that way.

I'd almost done the same with Jaden a few times, except, I'd never actually gone through with it.

At least Zane had the nerve to go the full monty and kiss me.

My mind kept swerving back to Jaden.

Why did he have to be there right at that moment?

Obviously, it wasn't his fault, he could go where he wanted and it wasn't like he was intentionally there, but for all the times he was late to stuff, he just had to be there at the perfect moment this time, didn't he.

I realised I had stayed in the same place with Zane for a while, "well…"

Well…

Really…

Was that all you could come up with?

"I think I'm going to go," Zane said as he started to make his way.

Instinctively I reached out a hand to grab him.

"Oh no you don't," I said, turning him to face me, "you're not getting away with it like that."

Once turned, he looked at me and I saw a look I wasn't expecting…

Anger…

"What do you want from me Alexis, huh?"

Stunned, that's how I felt.

"What?"

"You know what I mean, why do you want me here after I pulled something like that," he said, clearly getting angrier.

I hadn't thought of it like that until now.

I smiled at him, "Zane, you're still my closest friend, you know that yeah?"

He nodded slightly, almost hesitant as to what was coming next.

"But that is all, my friend, nothing more, okay?"

This time he paused, before talking, "Jaden?"

I looked slightly confused.

He looked at me a bit longer before exaggerating.

"You like Jaden, don't you?"

There was no point in hiding it anymore, anything with Jaden was basically doomed after that kiss anyway.

I nodded at Zane.

Zane looked down at the ground for a second, before looking up and smiling, "what kind of friend am I having you stand here with me rather than going to find him then?"

As much as I could throttle him for what he did just then, there was no denying that he was always going to do the right thing in the end.

I nodded and started to walk away, but before I turned the corner, I had one last thing I wanted to say.

"Promise you won't leave?"

I meant leave the party, but there was definitely more to it than that, I didn't want to lose him.

"Oh Alexis, I'm not going anywhere," Zane said smiling.

I laughed and then turned around to go and find Jaden.

As I wandered round the shop trying to find him, I realised I hadn't really considered what I was going to say to him.

'Oh, sorry for kissing Zane' didn't sound particularly good.

Neither did, 'did you see me kiss Zane?'

I'd have to think about it that was for sure.

I looked around for a while longer and realised that I couldn't find him, instead only finding his mum.

I didn't really want to have to tell her what had happened, but maybe she had seen him.

"Hey," I said, going over to her, she was stood at the drinks table by herself.

I was actually slightly nervous, like a little kid who had done something wrong and was trying to tell their parent about it.

"Oh," she said, turning around and wiping her hands with a cloth, "hey Alexis, do you want to try one, it's my famous fruit punch?"

"No, it's okay, thank you, have you…."

"Oh, go on, I know you'll love it, it's Jaden favourite," she said, handing me a cup full.

Jaden's favourite, you say?

I took the cup from her and had a sip.

"Oh wow," I said, taking another a few gulps, "that is really good."

Susan smiled at me, "oh," she said, as if remembering something, "what was it you wanted to ask me?"

"Oh yeah," I said finishing off the cup of punch I had, "have you seen Jaden?"

Susan filled another cup full of punch and handed it to me.

She stood thinking for a second, "oh actually yes," she said, looking over towards the door, "he came over to get himself some punch, he actually drank like four cups and then went over that way with another two."

Well…

At least he was taking things well…

To be fair, he may have just wanted a drink, but I couldn't help feeling that was partly my fault.

"Thanks Mrs Yu," I said before taking my punch and walking over in the direction she had pointed.

As predicted, I found him just past another group of people, but what I wasn't expecting to see him talking to a girl, especially the one he was talking too.

"Oh, hey Sabrina," I said, looking at the two of them.

I felt jealously flow through me. They were both in the corner of the room, close to each other and they both had these smiles on their faces, laughing at each other.

"Oh, hey Alexis," Sabrina said, "I see you found this punch."

She held up her glass to show me.

"Indeed, I did."

I looked at Jaden, he hadn't even made eye contact with me once.

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Oh, nothing much," Sabrina said after a momentary pause. She looked as though she was waiting for Jaden to talk.

"Righttt…"

I mean, Sabrina was quite shy but still this was rather weird.

"Hey, Sab, do you want to go over and talk to mum and dad," Jaden said, still completely ignoring me.

Wait…

Since when did he call her 'Sab?'

"Why? We can stay and talk to Alexis," she said back, smiling at me.

At least Sabrina was being a good person right now, but I couldn't really say the same for Jaden.

Jaden stayed quiet whilst Sabrina and I talked for a while longer, but I was really getting frustrated. Like, why was he being so annoying. I get I was the one in the wrong…

But then it occurred to me, had I actually done anything wrong?

"Are you done ignoring me yet?"

I hadn't meant to say it so brashly…

No screw that…

I did mean to say it like that…

He stayed silent…

"Oh okay, being immature now?"

Silence again…

"Guys let's just calm down," Sabrina said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"No, it's okay Sabrina," I said, moving her hand away.

She flinched and I felt guilty immediately.

I felt a little sorry for her actually, she was only trying to calm the situation down.

I looked at Jaden, but still he didn't register me…

I felt myself getting angrier…

I could feel an argument coming…

Jaden looked at me and smirked, as if he knew what I was thinking…

Oh, this was about to happen…

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Remember how I said it had been a great start to the weekend?

Yeah, that was about to come to an immediate halt.

I mean, after just realising how you feel about someone, then to have it all torn away is a pretty bad feeling you know…

The alcohol was definitely tasking effect, mum had decided to make her punch, but not just any punch, my favourite punch and it was safe to say it wasn't definitely having an effect on me, I knew that.

I had been talking to Sabrina when Alexis had come over.

My brain had told me it was a good idea…

Try and make Alexis jealous, that was the idea…

But my heart was telling me to stop straight away…

When she came over something kicked in and I just decided to ignore her.

And surprisingly I was actually really good at it…

I shouldn't have been angry, but I was, I mean, she didn't know how I felt, I'd never told her, but something inside me just was just furious.

It didn't help I could hear what she was thinking…

It had taken me a while to realise what was going on with Alexis and being able to hear her…

But then I realised I could hear her thoughts, only some of them, you could almost choose what they hear, but you could definitely hear it that was for sure.

In this situation however, it didn't make much difference.

She was cross, I was cross, and when I realised, she was getting angry, I couldn't help it, I just smirked…

Next thing I know... we were out the front of the shop.

Well, she had dragged me round the side of the shop.

I was glad because it wouldn't have been a good look to customers had the owners started shouting at each other in front of their new shop, before it had even opened.

It wasn't forceful but I didn't appreciate being dragged out of my own party, it was quite embarrassing.

I knew what was coming, but I wasn't sure whether I was ready for it.

I leant up against the wall and Alexis stared at me.

It wasn't that I was scared…

Well actually, I kind of was…

I was terrified of angry Alexis…

"What is your problem, Yuki?"

Yuki?

She never called me, Yuki…

"Nothing," I said.

Obviously, there was, but I didn't tell her that I hated seeing her with Zane.

"Well then, why are you being a complete ass?"

I'm being a complete ass…

Okay, I didn't appreciate that.

"What do you mean, 'I'm being a complete ass,' don't talk to me like that."

I saw the anger start to vent through her…

"Oh, really Jaden, I'll talk to be how I want, you know what, you are being a complete ass, but if you're not then why have you been ignoring me?"

So, I couldn't really say I wasn't…

I was…

On purpose…

But I was hurt, everyone knows how that feels, to be hurt, and we do stupid things.

"Because…"

She stared at me and I knew I was in a bit of a corner…

"Just because…"

That just seemed to make her madder.

"Oh great, so now you can't even give me a straight answer, well you know what forget it, screw you Jaden."

She started to turn as if to leave, but then spun around, "and you know what you can keep the stupid money for the house, I don't want it."

Okay, now I was quite angry, she was basically spitting my gift back at me…

"Fine," I shouted, I realised the argument had gotten to that level, "I won't pay it off then."

She started to walk away…

"Oh, is that it, you just going to walk away again…."

As I said it, she stopped and her posture change, it looked raging.

_This boy!_

Oh no, that wasn't good…

But I wasn't about to back down…

"You know I can hear that?"

_Yes, Jaden I do_

Right so she's worked it out as well, great.

She bolted round and came straight up into my face…

"You know Jaden, for someone who is meant to be my friend, you're not acting like one.."

Okay, that stung…

"What do you mean, 'I'm not acting like your friend'…"

I made quote marks with my fingers for emphasis, but really, that one was a real rib jabber…

"Well, what was all this about today, one minute we were fine, laughing together and then the next minute you're off flirting with Sabrina, not even talking to me."

"I… I…"

"That's not what friends do Jaden…"

I could tell there was more to it than that, but she was blocking me out of her thoughts, so I had no idea what it was.

She waited a few seconds for a response, but I had nothing…

"Mm, just as I thought…"

Alexis turned and started to walk away, so I panicked.

"I wasn't flirting with Sabrina…"

Alexis stopped and turned for the second time, but didn't advance towards me…

"Oh, and there we go again, more lying… Jaden, when are you going to quit with all this…"

I was starting to boil again, getting more frustrated.

"Alexis, when are YOU going to start trusting me…"

Alexis looked taken aback, but then again, I hadn't really said that to her.

I had secretly been feeling it, like she didn't fully trust me, but then again, I wasn't sure whether I trusted myself…

"And anyway, don't go act all innocent here, or are we just going to brush under the carpet what happened between you and Zane then, huh, care to explain that little nugget?"

For a second, she looked sad, then her facial expression turned back to angry.

"It was nothing…"

"Oh really, that didn't look like nothing to me, who was the one that just said to 'stop lying.'"

This conversation was starting to bother me.

I didn't really want it to continue any longer, I didn't want to hear the answer to my question…

"It was nothing, but it doesn't matter whether it was or not, Jaden."

Okay, what did that mean?

"Clearly," was all I had in response…

We stood in silence for a little while…

A few people had come to investigate but once they had realised it was us, they quickly headed back inside…

"You know, something is different between us now…"

I looked at her, she was in deep thought, but I knew what she meant, I'd had the same thought, with all these things happening between us, our relationship was different.

It was almost as if since the reunion, I'd had this fake image of how everything was going to be, and with everything that had happened, it felt like a honeymoon period with everyone…

But that was very much crumbling down around me now…

I didn't really want to talk any longer, so I slid myself off the wall and tried to head back inside…

"I don't know if the card shop is a good idea Jaden…"

I paused…

What the….

I looked at her, slowly turning my body…

Was she….

Backing out?

"What do you mean?"

I said it in a slow, methodical way…

Alexis paused and then spoke in a soft tone…

"It's ruining us Jaden, I don't want to argue like this, and it will happen with that shop…"

If you've ever had someone break your heart, then it must have felt something like the experience I was going through now…

"Oh, so now you're bailing on me…"

"No, Jaden," she shouted, this time she was crying, "I'm scared, I'm not losing you again, dam it, I feel like that's all that ever hangs over us."

She was crying, all I wanted to do was hold her, make sure she was okay.

But I couldn't…

I was still so mad…

"Dam it Alexis, stop!"

I saw her jolt and I felt bad, so my tone softened, "why are we arguing then, why drag me out here, if you're so scared of losing me, why start this…"

"Because…."

She paused, as if contemplating her words…

"Because what, huh, anything else?"

She looked up at me, tears still steaming…

"You know what Jaden…"

"What?"

I was asking for a smack,

I deserved one…

Her head dropped back down…

"That's it then..."

As I said it, she raised her head and I motioned to leave once more…

But in one swift moment, Alexis closed the gap between us…

Now.

If I'm correct.

This is where everything gets mushy, all in depth…

But it was nothing like that…

No.

In one quick swift movement, Alexis's lips met my own…

At first, I was surprised…

But then, as if my body was taking over, I returned the kiss…

Yet after merely a second, she stepped back, dropped her head, turned and disappeared inside…

Leaving me standing there…

Angry…

Confused…

And giddy…

Three feelings I definitely shouldn't be feeling at the same time…

But I was…

"Well," DK said, appearing next to me, I gathered he and Dee had been overhearing the argument, "that argument didn't go the way I expected."

I wanted to reply, but I couldn't…

I was just very confused…

We were arguing…

Then she kissed me…

She said she didn't want to be part of the shop…

Then she kissed me…

She kissed Zane…

Then she kissed me…

I felt a hand on my shoulder that didn't belong to Yubel or DK, snapping me out of my thoughts…

"Hey mate."

It was Kyle.

"Everything okay?"

I stayed silent for a second…

"A few people said they heard arguing and then I saw Alexis dart to the back of the shop, crying and then I decided to come find you…"

"Errr…"

Kyle stayed quiet, waiting for me to answer…

"Errr…. yeah, no, I'm good…."

I wasn't….

But I didn't need to broadcast it…

"Okay… well… I'm going around the back to sort out the Barbecue, I'll be there if you need me."

Kyle made his way round the back of the shop, as I stood watching him…

Almost as he turned the corner, I made my way inside…

I had to find Alexis…

I needed an answer…

I needed to know what that was about…

I started to look for her…

Most people didn't pay attention to me and carried on with their conversation…

But others stared…

I looked for a while but, in the end, I had no luck.

I stood to compose myself…

But almost within a second I was ambushed by Amalie…

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?"

It was like she was shouting it, but in a very quiet manner…

"What?"

I had an idea what she meant, but I wanted clarification…

"With Alexis…"

Ahh, there we go…

"I…"

What did I say to her…

It wasn't like it was easy to explain…

'Oh yeah, we had a huge argument and then she left me standing there after kissing me, oh, and she was crying at the same time.'

No…

"Amalie… I don't want to talk about it… where is she?"

"To hell you are…. you're going to tell me right…"

Suddenly, there was a large crash, and I spun to see Syrus on his knees in the doorway…

"JADEN," he shouted picking himself up, "ALEXIS, JADEN!"

Amalie looked at me, then in unison we ran to where Syrus was trying to pick himself up….

"Sy, Sy," I said, helping him, "what is it?"

He looked up at me, clearly out of breath and knackered…

"Fire… Barbecue… Out of control… Don't know what to do…"

He slumped down onto the floor and someone bent down to check on him.

In an instant, Amalie and I were sprinting down the side of the house towards where the barbecue was…

As we got to the back of the house, I could see the smoke…

Or rather the smoke started to stop me from seeing….

As we made our way out into the garden area at the back of the shop, it cleared slightly and I could see what Syrus was talking about…

Where the barbecue once was, there were now flames several feet tall, burning…

I stood in shock for a second but then Amalie snapped me out of it, "Jaden," she shouted, it was almost as if our conversation a few minutes ago was now an old wives' tale.

I looked at her and saw she was pointing…

I looked in that direction and realised that Kyle, Zane and Jesse were already there with buckets and hoses trying to get rid of the flames…

"I'll go help them," she said, grabbing the other hose next to her and joining them.

I wanted to join them as well, but something didn't feel right…

That's a brand-new barbecue…

My brother was suddenly alongside Amalie, helping her as well and that snapped me into action…

I went to grab a bucket, but the clouds were getting thicker and it was getting harder to see...

I finally found one but then a hand was on my shoulder…

"Jaden, Jaden," said the voice of my mother in a panic.

I realised that now there were at least 10 to 12 people working on the fire, with people having followed Amalie and I out here after hearing what Syrus had said…

"Jaden," said my mother again…

"What mum," I said frantically, trying to get her to let go…

The smoke was becoming thicker as the water was being put on it…

"I can't find her; she was out here playing with Joshie, but I can't find her anywhere…"

My emotions were off the scale at this point and I didn't have a clue what my mum was going on about, let alone the time…

I turned and grabbed her by the shoulders, looking her in the eyes, "mum, what are you talking about?"

I thought that would have straightened her up, but it just made her worse…

She started to squirm and look around me as if something bigger than the fire was going on…

I was getting frustrated…

"MUM," I snapped.

I never shouted at her…

She looked at me again, tears streaming down her face…

Dam it, why was everybody crying today…

"It's… It's…." she tried to say, in between stutters…

She collapsed to the ground in front of me…

I quickly dropped the bucket I was holding and fell to her side…

Clearly there was something more pressing going on and I didn't know what it was…

"Mum?"

I was concerned now, almost forgetting about the fire…

My mother looked in my eyes, and I felt my heart clench…

"I can't find her Jaden; she was playing right over there…"

She pointed and I looked, but it was just Josh and Zane throwing more water over the barbecue…

Then…

As if if everything locked into place…

My heart sank and I felt sick…

Now I knew what she meant…

"My little Tessa, she was playing right by those flames…"


	21. A Sinister Outlook

**Hey people, **

**Wow, this is weird, posting another chapter so soon!**

**Hope you all enjoyed the last one!**

**But here we go, this one will be a shorter one than usual, but after this they will all be packed, (hopefully).**

**As for updates, they will now come every Monday and Friday!**

**If there isn't one then it will just come again the next update day, but I will try to stick as close to the schedule as possible.**

**But, without further ado, review, favourite, follow, etc…**

**And let's get going!**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Neutral POV**_

A dark, hooded figure stood, staring at the blaze that had erupted from where the barbecue had been…

_Yes…_

_This is perfect…_

_Exactly as I had scripted…_

They watched as the flames grew, getting hungrier…

More people scrambled about, gathering any water they could find, trying to put out as many flames as possible…

_Yes…_

_Yes…_

_This is exactly how I had envisioned it…_

People hurried about looking panicked, the water clearly wasn't having the secured effect everybody had been hoping for…

A few hurried to the front, where some were playing and started to use hoses…

_Ahh…_

The figure muttered a few words, before appearing in amongst the commotion…

Nonchalantly, they grabbed a bucket and began throwing water over fire like the others…

_Where is he…_

_I must have him…_

_Just like I had his opponent…_

_It is the only way…_

People hurried about, hoses blasting water, whilst the figure looked around, sourcing…

_Aha…_

_There…_

The figure pointed at a tall, blue haired man, holding a hose close to the barbecue…

They dropped his bucket and started muttering…

_Chomeith Tomarde Merervy…_

_Chomeith Tomarde Merervy…_

_Chomeith Tomarde Merervy…_

Suddenly, smoke started to fill the sky…

Thick clouds…

The figure continued to chant…

_Chomeith Tomarde Merervy…_

And then suddenly…

_**Chomeith Tomarde Merervy Encantarto…**_

And with one swoop…

The figure once again appeared off to the side…

Watching…

They waited, as people dashed about and the smoke partially cleared…

But something wasn't right…

_Impossible…_

Standing, still with hose in hand, was the tall, blue haired man…

The figure raged…

Crows flocked to him…

And the flames seem to grow with his rage…

A rumble surrounded him in the darkness, as if evil itself was scared…

Then, without a blink, the figure vanished…

_How…_

_How could I fail…_

_Never fear master…_

_The fire was merely a distraction…_

_It is time we move onto the final chapter…_

_The one where I win…_

_And nothing else survives…_

_Are you sure sire?_

_Do you question me?_

_No sir…_

_I don't…_

_Good, then proceed with our plans…_

_Plant the trap…_

_Of course, as you wish…_

Another, more of a voice, disappeared…

_I shall take back what is rightfully mine…_

_But first…_

_It is time to take out the one they call…_

_Jaden…_

* * *

**Hmm…**

**Strange…**

**I know it is short…**

**But it needed to be included…**

**Let me know your thoughts…**

**And I will have the next chapter out Monday…**

**But until then…**

**Look after yourselves,**

**Writey x**


	22. Coping Methods

**Hey guys,**

**Welcome back, how was your weekend?**

**I hope that the last chapter whet your appetite a little for the run in…**

**I certainly know I'm ready to show it to you…**

**I just hope you're ready…**

**Anyway, review, favourite and follow before anything else, and let's get right into it…**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

It was opening day…

But it didn't feel like opening day.

I stood at the desk, with a forced smile as I served another customer.

It was some spell card to add to their deck.

But I wasn't really paying attention.

It could have been a trap card.

Maybe.

We were actually reasonably busy, given everything that had happened.

And that actually surprised me quite a bit.

Maybe pity had had some part to play in our immediate popularity, but I wasn't really sure.

I looked out across the shop.

Kyle, Sabrina and Amalie were out there, talking to customers, smiles on.

Whether they were fixed on like mine I wasn't sure.

I should have been too.

You know…

Out there with them…

Talking to customers…

But I couldn't face it, talking to all those people, given the pain I was feeling.

Working behind the till, it was almost a way of coping with it all, without having to face anything.

News had spread quickly of the fire that broke out during the opening party this weekend.

Which was quite funny because the actually fire spread quite quickly…

It had taken a while to sort out the fire.

The services had come and dealt with it in the end.

Not that I'd actually seen it myself to be honest, but I knew it was bad just by the mess that was there when I arrived in this morning.

Either way though, people were here, fire or not.

Scanning out across the shop floor I noticed…

We were definitely busy.

There were rows and rows of people here, looking at all different equipment and cards.

Some had been here a while, others just passing by.

It was a shame Jaden wasn't here to see it.

With everything that happened yesterday, it was understandable he had needed time to himself.

I took the card from the next customer, smiling and chatting to them.

This time it was a monster, a powerful one at that.

It would definitely help them, that was for sure.

But I couldn't help my mind wandering, it had been all morning…

The truth of the matter is…

My head wasn't in the right place…

Heck, it still isn't…

And there wasn't really another way to describe it other than, messed up…

You see, the weekend had started brilliantly, the Meet N'Duel, meeting Jaden's family…

That had all been great.

But then, one incident, you know the one…

Kissing Zane…

And everything seemed to spiral from that point onwards…

I hadn't meant to let it get out of control…

But the argument had become heated…

My emotions were everywhere…

I wasn't thinking straight…

And to be honest with you, I just wasn't going to back down…

I knew I wasn't in the wrong…

Zane had kissed me, not the other way around.

So, why had I needed to apologise or say sorry to him.

Jaden that is.

I mean, he didn't have any idea what it was all about which was probably confusing, but he didn't let me explain, he just jumped on me before I even had a chance to explain myself.

That's why the argument went the way it did.

Anyway, it wasn't like I couldn't kiss him, Zane, there wasn't a rule that said I couldn't.

Talking about it started to make my blood boil, so I tried to focus on something else, looking around the shop.

I watched as a young boy raised his hands.

Clearly, he had just won a duel.

Loads of people had been duelling all morning at the front of the shop, which was a nice way to take your mind off things. I may even go over a try it out myself…

Jaden and I hadn't spoken since yesterday…

Not since, you know, the argument…

Part of me felt like that was a mistake…

There was more to life than arguing constantly…

Especially with everything else that had happened…

But it wasn't like the argument was pointless…

I mean it was productive…

I'd realised how manty faults there were to mine and Jaden's relationship, and I'm sure he did as well.

I mean, we had vented everything…

The lying, the friendship, flirting, kissing, everything had been vented…

I knew how he felt…

He knew how I felt…

And that is why I didn't want to talk to him…

Granted, I'd said some things, like not wanting the money for the house, which I didn't really mean…

That isn't me being selfish, it was a gift and I threw it back in his face…

But in the moment, everything was coming out…

But I had meant what I said, about things being different…

And I just couldn't work out what it was….

"Hey, you okay?"

I snapped out of my chain of thought and looked in the direction of the person speaking to me.

Amalie had shifted alongside of me onto the other till.

She had come in extra early this morning to check on everything, make sure we were ready to go.

She'd insisted that it was part of her new ritual she was putting together but I knew she didn't want me to stress.

And I also reckon it was her way of coping as well.

I looked out and realised the line was getting rather long and I guess it made sense for her to jump on the till next to me.

"Errr…. yeah, no, I'm okay."

Amalie smiled at me, "you sure, holding up okay?"

I nodded at her and then served my next customer.

I hadn't been truthful to my friend, but then how could I be.

I didn't know how to explain to her that I had kissed Jaden in a fit of anger, straight after having an intense argument with him.

Let alone walking off from the situation balling my eyes out. There wasn't a reason for the crying, I think everything just got to me.

In truth, it had been a great kiss, one that was very unplanned, however.

It wasn't like those movie scenes where it was all romantic, oh no, it was the complete opposite, but it was still great.

If I'm honest, with Zane kissing me, and the fact that Jaden had threatened to walk away on several occasions, the kiss had been purely from the fear of losing him.

Well, that's what I had told myself anyway.

Had I regretted it?

Yes.

Would I take it back?

No.

Something inside me had made me decide that had been the best course of action and I was going to stick to it no matter what, even if it cost me a friend.

Jaden and I weren't talking anyway, so why did it matter, there were more bigger things than the kiss going on anyway.

And I wasn't about to bring it up to him either.

Amalie and I stood, talking to our customers as they came and went, but after a while I started to feel slightly queasy.

"Hey, I'm just going to nip to the back, can you cover for me?"

Amalie smiled, "yeah course, take your time and let me know if you need anything."

I smiled and turned to walk away.

"Alexis," she said, just before I went into the back, "are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded, "yeah, I'm fine, promise."

Truth was, I wasn't fine.

Even with everything that happened at the party, nothing could have prepared people for what happened during the fire.

It was why everyone was trying to cope…

It was why Jaden wasn't here…

It was why Susan had to be carried out of the party…

It was why we were holding a dam funeral next week!

I stood and held onto the banister that had led upstairs, trying to hold myself upright and not let the tears flow.

Nobody had found her…

Tessa…

They had spent all night searching but not a clue was found.

The police had put it down to the fire.

They said she….

I couldn't even bring myself to say it…

Others had just said she was panicked and lost, but that was their coping…

Everybody was coping somehow…

But all I felt was guilt.

I mean, if Jaden and I hadn't argued, then maybe she would still be here…

She could have been at the Yuki's watching her favourite show, the one with the talking birds, but instead, she's gone.

I felt a single tear roll down my face.

I tried to push the thoughts of how the Yuki's were coping out my mind.

I didn't really want to have a breakdown on the first day of the shop opening.

That wouldn't go down well.

I let go of the bannister and made my way to the staff area and filled myself a glass of water.

I'd never felt queasy before, it was strange.

I sat down on the sofa and took a couple of sips of water to see if that would help ease it up a little.

However, instead of helping, my head started throbbing…

_Dam it, stupid headache…_

_I mean, if you just let me in, I wouldn't have to give you a headache…_

I dropped the cup of water, in surprise…

_Ja… Jaden?_

_No sorry, unfortunately not…_

_Then who?_

_Ahhh, patience, my young Alexis…_

Suddenly, I felt a searing pain go through me, and everything went white, almost just like the time with the aura…

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Have you ever just stared at a ceiling?

They're so plain and boring.

But they provide shelter, warmth and somewhere safe to be.

That's what Tess should have now…

Shelter…

Warmth…

Somewhere safe to be…

I wiped away the tears that I hadn't realised were on my face and tried to push the thoughts of my sister out of my mind. They had been coming and going all ever since…

Well ever since…

You know…

I turned myself onto my side and looked out the window.

I wondered how the shop was doing. I hadn't gone in today for obvious reasons but didn't meant that it peaked my curiosity.

"I could ask Dee," DK said. He was floating at the end of my bed almost watching me.

"No thanks."

"We could go and have a look?"

"NO DK."

My duel spirit flinched, and I instantly felt bad, "I'm sorry."

"No, Jaden, you don't need to be sorry."

DK had been in the same place, watching me the whole time. Yubel had gone to check on my family, I had asked her to, even though I knew what she would find.

The shop was set to open today, and truth be told, I wanted to be there, but I couldn't face it…

The place I had lost her…

Lost several things in fact…

Right now, there was so much pain involved in that shop that I didn't want to even think about it, let alone go there.

I switched on the TV and flicked through the channels.

There was some quiz show on, it was covering different types of duel monsters and you had to guess which one was which.

I mean, I got almost all of them right, minus the odd card, but I would have won hands down.

I put it on in the intention of trying to sleep, even though it was 1pm, but I seemed way more involved in the show than I had originally anticipated.

You see, I hadn't really slept last night…

I'd spent most of the evening out searching, but I hadn't had any luck…

Everybody had, we'd all been looking but didn't have any success…

Dad had brought mum home; she wasn't in any fit shape to do anything.

Josh and I had stayed, but he left early, mainly because everything was getting to him…

I'd stayed on late into the night because I wasn't going to give up…

You know…

Looking…

Not that there was anything to look for…

I felt a tear prick in my eye once more so I tried to focus back on the quiz in front of me…

They had moved onto the spell round and this was a bit more of a challenge…

But I did pretty well…

Especially for someone who hadn't duelled in a very long time…

Dad and Josh had gone back out again this morning to search…

They had decided to stay away from the shop, with it being opening day and all, but I knew they would have to venture over there at some point…

It wasn't that I didn't want them too, it would have been good for an update, I just knew the she would be there…

I decided it was time to get out of bed because clearly the sleep thing wasn't going to work.

I switched off the TV and wandered out to the hallway.

The house was pretty silent, but then again most of the usual noise was missing…

No, it was gone…

For good…

I collected myself and went to the bathroom to get ready but even that was a slow process today…

After a few seconds I had to leave because of the toothbrush with bird on it…

I mean aside from being a celebration, the only celebratory bit about yesterday's party was the fact that the shop was finally opening.

But then again, I wasn't sure where that was going.

My mind rolled back to the argument I had with Alexis…

So many things were said, so many...

Actions…

Yeah that's the word…

Actions…

But the fact we argued bothered me…

How were we going to co-exist with a shop…

I mean we had barely spoken…

I'd had time to think about everything as well, I mean it was safe to say I was probably in the wrong on a number of things that happened last night…

But I was just so mad…

Wait…

No…

I was jealous…

I didn't want to admit it to myself yesterday, but I knew deep down that's what it stemmed from and I needed to find another reason to be mad apart from being jealous…

But then it all change…

That kiss, it felt so…

Real…

But that's what made me mad, no explanation, nothing, she just cried and left…

She had not only kissed me, but also Zane, like, what was going in her head…

But then again, I had sort of flirted with Sabrina…

Slightly…

Maybe…

The fact of the matter is, we hadn't spoken since yesterday, Alexis and I, and quite frankly I didn't really fancy talking to her.

There were just bigger things going on…

I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen. I didn't really fancy anything to eat, but I knew I had to eat something otherwise I would be even worse later…

I was also shocked at the fact that I wasn't hungry, like, that didn't ever happen, which was really worrying but then again, I did have a reason…

I made myself a bowl of cereal and made my way into the living room. I was going to attempt to eat something even though I wasn't that hungry.

I reached the room and I felt my heart reach into my throat…

On the sofa, asleep, was my mother, cover in one of my sisters' blankets and cuddling on of the numerous toys she would sleep with on a regular basis…

Hovering over her was Yubel…

_How long has she been out?_

I didn't want to wake her up so I thought speaking like this would be the best way.

_A little while, but it took some time like normal…_

I nodded at Yubel.

You see, out of all of us, she had struggled the most…

Not that any of us hadn't struggled…

Heck…

We'd all struggled…

But mum, she had been beside herself with grief…

Ever since the incident by the fire, she hadn't stopped crying…

After the fire had died down and everybody started searching, she went into a shell, like this shell of denial…

It got to the point where she had to be taken home, but it wasn't that easy, she didn't want to move…

But nobody could blame her…

In the end, dad and I managed to move her, we got her home and she pretty much crawled to the sofa and she hasn't moved since.

But you see, watching her like this, it broke me…

She was like my rock, she was so strong, but now, she was broken…

And I hated seeing her like this…

I wanted to do something…

Make things better…

But what could I do…

She wasn't sleeping, eating, she was crying all the time…

It just wasn't her…

But I couldn't blame her…

No one could…

Yet, she was blaming herself…

I couldn't sit here watching her sleep, my mind would race…

But mainly because she was actually sleeping, and I didn't want to wake her, so I made my way outside into the garden. It was actually a lovely day, perfect for eating breakfast at 1pm in the afternoon.

I settled myself down in one of the chairs and tried to occupy my thoughts with anything but Tessa.

Honestly, I was struggling…

I still couldn't believe that she was gone…

It didn't feel real and something inside me told me that it wasn't true…

I didn't want to believe it, but then, how could I?

It was my little Tessa…

How could I not think about her…

That was my way, my way of coping was to not cope…

How else could a 20-year-old really cope with the loss of their four-year-old sister…

I shouldn't have to cope…

I shouldn't have to go through this…

It wasn't fair…

My dad and brother shouldn't have to cope by going out searching…

My mother shouldn't have to cope by crying herself to sleep…

Dam it!

I didn't even get to say goodbye!

I felt the water streaming down my face once more and I went to wipe it away…

"Jay?"

I looked up, water still covering my face…

It was my mother.

I had to be strong.

I wiped my face.

"Yeah mum?"

She looked at me with a smile, but it wasn't her normal smile, it was a sad smile, as if the life had been drained from it…

"It's okay to be sad."

That was all she said before she turned and went back inside…

I looked at the position that my mum had just vacated…

I knew what she was trying to say…

Stop holding it in…

_Jaden…_

_What the…_

Someone was in my mind…

It couldn't be…

_Alexis?_

_No, man, why do you two always do that!_

_Huh?_

_Oh, never mind…_

Then, I felt the voice leave my head, and in its place was a searing pain, like a really bad headache and then everything went white, just like when…

Just like the aura…

* * *

**Well guys, what did you think?**

**That certainly got me when writing it, and a lot of feelings and stuff…**

**But hopefully you enjoyed it…**

**What did you make of the 'white?'**

**That was the only way I could describe it…**

**What do you think it could be?**

**Please let me know in a review!**

**But, until Friday, look after yourselves and be sure to favourite and follow,**

**Writey x**


	23. Truthful Outlooks

**Hey guys, welcome back!**

**We're getting closer and closer to the ending…**

**Good to see a few new faces tracking the story! So welcome!**

**I hope everybody is still enjoying it!**

**Make sure that you don't forget to leave feedback…**

**Hopefully this chapter will tie a few loose ends for a few people…**

**And you will start to understand what is truly going on….**

**But without further ado, let get straight into it…**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Slowly the light faded…

And, truthfully, my head was in a bit of spin…

What was going on?

Where was I?

Who did that voice belong to?

I didn't really know, in fact I'd never even heard it before, so it certainly wasn't someone that I knew.

I gradually picked myself up but realised something felt strange…

_What the…_

I felt different, something wasn't clicking, it was almost as if someone had taken something from me but didn't know what it was…

I was still me, that wasn't a problem, but I wasn't me…

I can't explain it.

I looked at my hands…

They were hollow, I could see through the other side of them…

Then I realised…

I hadn't had something taken from me; someone had taken me away from me…

I know, that sounds confusing, but bear with me…

I guess you could say someone had taken my soul away…

From my body…

I looked down at myself…

_Yeah, I'm definitely a ghost…_

_Am I dead?_

Suddenly, I felt another presence.

_Oh Jaden, don't be ridiculous…_

Now, that is a voice I do recognise…

_Solomon?_

_Yes Jaden, it is me, now would you stop standing there and come over here to us._

I focussed my eyes and reassessed my surroundings, realising that I was actually somewhere I recognised…

_Is this the…_

_Yes Jaden, you are in the café in downtown New Domino or rather a version of it…_

There was a second voice I recognised as well…

_Yugi?_

_Yes Jaden…_

I looked around the café and to my knowledge there wasn't anyone here…

_Far side._

I froze…

There was a third voice, one I knew very well and one I wasn't ready to talk to…

_Alexis?_

There wasn't a response…

_Guess, we're still in argument mode then…_

Still nothing…

_Oh, for heaven's sake, we're not going through this all over again, are we?_

I stood confused for a second, what did Yugi mean; '_we're not going through this all over again.'_

I looked towards the back of the room, and Alexis was speaking the truth, back there were three people, or rather ghosts of people, just like me sat round a circular table, eating.

As I grew closer, I realised that it was in fact Alexis, Solomon and Yugi…

But they didn't look happy, probably to do with the fact I was taking so long.

Well, that was probably at least why Solomon and Yugi were looking grumpy…

I didn't want to argue with Alexis anymore, because I had other things to worry about, bigger things, but really it wasn't that, it was the fact that I wanted to talk to her about it, have her there to help me through.

Did that sound selfish?

I mean, give me some credit, I'm managing to stay mad at someone who I'd only just realised I had a major crush on.

However, if this was how it was going to go, then I wasn't about to back down.

I made my way over to the table and sat…

_Sorry about that, you know, I'm just slightly confused as to why I'm a bloody ghost!_

_I know Jaden, but Yugi and I will explain, Alexis has been sat here waiting patiently enough, she's missing her lunch, so shall we order some food._

Solomon's ghost passed me a menu, or rather it wasn't a menu…

A list of things we could buy appeared in front of me, almost just floating there…

Truth be told I still wasn't that hungry, and given the weird things currently happening, I didn't fancy finding out what was going to happen once I ordered all my food.

_I'm okay thanks._

As I said it, I attempted to push the 'menu' away, but instead, it automatically disappeared.

_Very well, I think I'll have the soup, Yugi, Alexis?_

_I'll just go with portion of chips I think, I only ate a little while ago._

Everybody looked at Alexis, who hadn't said anything in a while.

_I'll probably just have a sandwich; I don't want to eat too much in case the shop is still busy when I get back._

I suddenly felt a little guilty, I hadn't even asked about how the shop was going…

_How is it?_

Alexis looked briefly at me before turning and ushering her floating menu away.

_Fine, we're very busy actually._

It was a blunt response, but nothing less than I had truly expected.

_Well, that's good news…_

I didn't know how to say, but I attempted it anyway…

_I'm… err... sorry I didn't make it in._

Alexis looked at me again, and anger sparked in her eyes, just like during the argument.

_Really Jaden, are you really going to put me in that position?_

_Huh, what position?_

I didn't really have a clue about what she was talking about, but then again, it seemed we hadn't really known each other for a while apparently.

_Oh, it doesn't matter…_

Yugi was looking at us intently, as if trying to work out the true meaning of the argument.

_You know Alexis._

Yugi looked at her, deep in thought.

_You have nothing to take the blame for, it wasn't your fault._

Okay, at this point, I was truly confused, what did she blame herself for.

Alexis looked at Yugi, as if considering what he had said, in truth, it was clear she knew what he was going on about, so I just left it.

Everybody's food started arriving, and when I said arriving, I meant appearing out of thin air. Everybody had something expect me because I didn't order anything, but I was growing restless, what was this all about?

_Umm, not to be rude, but why are we here?_

Yugi and Solomon looked at each other as if trying to decide how to explain the situation.

Clearly both had an idea what was going…

_We've all been summoned._

For the first time, Alexis and I looked at each other without anger, this time with just confusion.

_What are you talking about?_

I'm glad it wasn't just me that was confused…

Solomon started quickly eating some soup and Yugi sighed.

He stood up and started walking around, just pointing, moving his hands.

_Where do you think we are?_

_Well, if I'm being honest, I think I might just be having one crazy nightmare._

What I was being truthful…

Yugi sighed and looked at Alexis…

_Umm... I don't know… I remember seeing something like this when I felt that strange aura at the shop._

Yugi and Solomon looked at each other once more.

_Exactly, that is the same, other rather those two instances are the same, we are in the same place, a place in all our minds, connected to this here place, which turns out to be a café._

_But how did we get here?_

_Well, that's what we were hoping you could tell us._

Solomon had finally stood and started looking around as well.

_For all the times we've been here, we've never really known who brought us to this exact spot._

Alexis and I looked at each other, I had no idea who brought us here and I'm pretty sure she was the same, telling by the look on her face.

_No idea…_

_Well, that's okay, it's just always the same voice that brings us here, that much we know._

_But why?_

They kept looking at each other before sitting down again.

_Have you both noticed anything, anything between the two of you, like to do with your minds?_

Come to think of it…

_Yes actually, ever since the thing with that aura, we've been able to sort of hear each other's thoughts…_

Alexis nodded.

_Right, do you have any idea what that means?_

We both shook our head.

I mean, it probably had something to do with the aura, but truthfully, I couldn't comprehend what that really meant.

_Right, you know that both of you have those two cards, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, DK and Dee._

We both nodded.

_They are linked in many different ways, so much so that they can link two people together kind of like a binding contract._

So, they knew what this was, but they don't know who brought us here…

_Exactly Jaden, we've asked DK and Dee, but they always said it was not them._

Okay…

They looked at each other once more.

_The reason we come here though, the reason this place exists, is for us to be able connect, without having to do so in close proximity. We are connected through the cards, which gives us a telepathic link to each other without having to communicate verbally. Grandpa and I, being previous owners of the cards, are able you talk to you here, as you are now the current owners of them._

_That explains why it started happening at the card shop and then when I touched the two cards, they're all linked._

_Exactly…_

For what felt like the 1000th time, Solomon and Yugi exchanged a glance…

_The only thing is, the bond doesn't happen like that, it is built up, over time, through feelings that are so strong, there isn't a plausible way for them to be broken, no matter how bad things get…._

A strange sensation went through me…

And I let out a small chuckle…

And so did Alexis…

_That's a good joke guys._

They both stared at us, not flinching.

Alexis and I looked at each other…

A bond so strong that it can't be broken…

Yet, here we are, at war with each other…

That definitely didn't add up…

_That may be the case Jaden, but the bond wouldn't have selected the two of you without it being the right decision…_

I looked at Alexis, for however much we were arguing, we had been through a lot together.

Alexis too was looking at me and for a minute I thought I detected a hint of smile but that quickly faded.

She looked back at Solomon and Yugi.

_How do you both know all this?_

_Well, we've had the same connection in part, ever since I gave my grandpa the cards…_

_We've also known that you two have had it for some time, we were just waiting to tell you, but as it happens, we didn't really have to find a time, because this happened._

Solomon said it whilst moving his hands around dramatically.

In truth it wasn't a surprise that the two of them had this 'strong bond', but it still didn't add up why Alexis and I could only hear certain things each other were saying.

_Experience..._

I realised Yugi had said that to me and then I looked at him.

Solomon smiled and Alexis just looked confused…

_You see, just like that instant, I knew what you had said, grandpa had known what you had said, but Alexis didn't, it all just comes down to a bit of experience._

_But then how do Alexis and I hear each other?_

_Well, that could sometimes be considered luck I guess, you may not know you're doing it._

_Other times though, you can almost will the other person to hear at the stage the two of you are at, not intentionally, but something is allowing that thought to escape and be heard by the other person._

I cast my mind back, in some instances, I had been thinking of Alexis, and likewise her thinking about me, which perhaps added up to why we had been able to hear each other's thoughts.

_But then, why can't I hear Jaden sometimes, even when he's thinking about me?_

Again, I racked my brain, it was true, there were countless times that I had been thinking about Alexis and nothing had been heard.

_Well, you can also block each other from hearing certain things as well._

So, wait, this whole time I could block certain thoughts from Alexis, and I may not have even realised I was doing it…

_It's kind of like the thoughts you share, you haven't really had the experience, but over time it'll be more natural for each of you._

_Oh, great so another way for him to lie to me then…_

I just had to laugh…

_Really back with this again? _

_Yeah Jaden, I am 'back with this again' or had you forgotten._

I was surprised she actually used my name that time…

Solomon and Yugi looked at each other.

_What is going on with you two?_

Now, this was the moment to block them out my thoughts, although I was pretty sure I was red, and it was quite obvious…

Hadn't they heard us arguing…

_Oh, so you were, arguing we heard the rumbling and angry thoughts, but you had both managed to block us out…_

Dam it, stupid mind readers!

_We heard that…_

I let out a sigh and gave up, there was no point in trying to stop them listening…

_You know, I don't know what you to were arguing about, but you don't have to see this as a negative, it can actually come in handy a lot of the time._

Come in handy?

_Yeah, I mean why look at it as a negative, it can be useful in so many ways…_

Solomon had left that sentence open ended and for the life of me I didn't really know what it would be useful for.

I suppose I didn't have to talk to Alexis in person to be able to communicate with her…

But then again, we aren't actually talking…

We continued to chat for a while, as if waiting for something else to happen, perhaps the person that had brought us here to appear and explain the reasoning, but we decided that it was just to explain to us about the telepathic link Alexis and I had.

_Well…_

Yugi stood up and looked around…

_It looks as if our host isn't going to turn up…_

Solomon nodded and started to make his way to the door, alongside Yugi.

_Wait, what are you guys doing?_

They both spun around to stare at Alexis and I. The bill hadn't been paid and they had just left everything on our table, but I hadn't seen any staff at all.

_Oh, come on Jaden, do you really think we need to pay? Have you seen anyone this whole time?_

They were right, I guess there wasn't anybody to stop us leaving…

We both got up from the table and made our way to where Yugi and Solomon stood, feeling a bit guilty I might add.

_Right, let's go then…_

And just like that, Solomon, or rather his ghost, stepped through the doorway and disappeared…

_You guys go first just so I know you've made it out safely…_

Alexis went first, but before she left, she turned to look at me…

_I'm sorry about your sister, I know how much you loved her…_

She hesitated…

_Just, take your time…_

And with that she stepped through the door…

I paused for minute…

That had been the most she had said to me this whole time…

Maybe…

Maybe, things weren't as bad as I thought…

_They're not…_

I turned around to look at Yugi confused, before finally catching on…

_Ahh the mind reading thing, you know, you've really got to stop that._

Yugi smiled.

_I know Jaden, it's just a force of habit…_

Yugi looked at me and for the first time today, I saw a hint of concern…

_Jaden, listen to me, whatever it is between you and Alexis, you need to figure it out because whoever summoned us here, had their reasons…_

I looked at him, I didn't really have a response, so I just nodded…

I turned around to leave, opening the door but I felt a hand on my shoulder so turned around…

_Jaden…_

_Be careful…_

And then, with some force, Yugi pushed me back and it felt as though I was falling before everything went dark…

* * *

I slowly opened my eyes to my mother hunched over me, holding me tightly…

I felt a wet stain on my shirt, below where her head lay…

"Mum?"

Her head bolted up, looking me in the eyes before hugging me tightly…

"Jaden," she said, "Jaden, Jesus, you scared the life out of me, I thought…."

She hesitated and I realised what she meant…

"Don't worry mum, I'm okay…"

I hadn't really considered what my body had looked like during the process of whatever that just was, but it probably didn't look great…

She smiled at me before standing up, "come on, eat your breakfast, your dad and brother will be home soon."

"Okay, I'll be in there in a second," I replied.

She made her way inside and I looked around. She was right, I was still in the exact same spot I had passed out.

My mind kept wandering to what Yugi had said at the end of our telepathy meeting…

'_Jaden…'_

'_Be careful….'_

* * *

For the next few days, not a lot really happened.

There was still no sign of Tessa…

My mother had worsened, to the point where she wasn't eating or sleeping at all. My dad had tried to comfort her on several occasions, but even he really couldn't get through to her.

My dad himself wasn't exactly in the best shape. He had taken a couple of weeks off work, which they completely understood. The searching had stopped, and he looked a bit lost, especially given the extra workload he was taking on because of mum not doing much.

Josh had kept to himself mainly by staying in his room, but I think that was mainly down to not having to see mum in the state she was in.

I had eventually returned to the card shop, not to work, but more to meet and greet people. In truth, Alexis had been right, there was an awful lot of people and we were incredibly busy during the times I was there.

Everybody had really managed to keep the shop going whilst I was away, and they'd even made a profit. I hadn't spoken to Alexis whilst I was there, mainly because she and I were always talking to a customer or visitor.

I mean, we had been slightly avoiding each other as well, ever since our conversation with Yugi and Solomon.

Nobody had said anything, even though I knew they had been wanting to ask why we weren't talking…

I think more than anything, it was the realisation of just how connected we were now through this telepathy that made us not want to talk about the whole idea.

I mean going from that huge argument to being told we have an 'unbreakable bond,' kind of one extreme to the other…

But also, Yugi's words had stuck with me…

What reasons did we have to be summoned to wherever it was?

Why did it have to be now?

Why did I have to be careful?

These thoughts had been running through my mind for a while, but really it was more the fact that I didn't have an answer to any of those questions.

Either way, I had tried my best to reset to normal life, or at least as normal as I could make it.

The shop was exactly as how I had pictured it would be on Thursday morning. It was the third time I was visiting, but this time I was actually going to attempt to do some work, or at least try.

I had spent a large part of the morning, just sorting out shelves and talking to customers. It almost felt like the best way to keep your mind busy, you know, talking to people.

Well, apart from when they brought it up…

But I just changed the topic quickly…

Currently I was sorting some cards on the top shelf, they were ones that weren't regularly purchased, but someone had wanted one and they needed putting back.

_You know you've missed a spot…_

I knew that voice, as Alexis came over to me.

We hadn't really spoken as I said earlier, but we had decided that this was the best means of doing so if we needed too…

_Oh right, okay, where?_

I looked around trying to work out what she was talking about, but I couldn't really see from my position.

_Don't worry, I've got it._

She pulled up a ladder next to me and reached up to a few cards just along from where I was. I stepped down to make sure she had sorted them properly.

_There, much better._

She leaned back slightly to check her work before approving it.

Now, the one thing is we didn't have particularly good ladders and the one she had chosen was especially dodgy, in the way that, there was a very high chance of falling.

As Alexis went to step down off the ladder, the right leg gave way causing her to wobble and tumble backwards.

The ladder landed with a clang on the floor, managing to avoid everything within its vicinity, but Alexis flew backwards off the ladder.

Without thinking, I manoeuvred myself so that I could catch her.

But it turns out, I wasn't particularly aware of just how quick she was moving, and with a clatter, somehow, we had ended up in a heap on the floor.

_Ugh…_

_My head…_

I opened my eyes…

I was instantly greeted to another face merely inches from my own…

"Oh my god, Alexis, are you okay?"

Sabrina had coming running over to check and she was definitely one to be rather over the top that was for sure.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you need an ambulance?"

"Really Sabrina, I'm fine."

Alexis hadn't opened her eyes yet, probably due to some pain she was feeling but didn't want to tell anyone…

_Sure, you're okay?_

She opened her eyes…

Our eyes met, faces still inches from one another…

_I… errr…_

I looked at her. Our lips where so close and my mind went back to our kiss. I hadn't really thought about it till now properly, but it was actually really good.

I felt my cheeks go red at the thought of it and I swear hers did as well, but before I knew it, she was up and back on her feet.

Sabrina bustled about, checking Alexis as stood to my feet.

Once Sabrina had finished, Alexis picked up the ladder and looked at me. For the first time since the party, I saw a genuine smile creep onto her face…

"Thanks Jaden."

I smiled back at her, "no problem."

_I meant thanks for saving me, I know you darted forward…_

_Yeah, well, couldn't have you falling and properly hurting yourself in front of all our customers now could we…_

I heard a small laugh come from her as she started walking away.

Most of the customers had continued what they were doing or had already gone back to it.

_Chivalrous, Mr Yuki, chivalrous…_

I laughed to myself.

It felt good to laugh, properly laugh…

Properly laugh…

Only a few people could get me to 'properly' laugh.

But only Alexis could do it that way…

The smile remained on my face for the rest of my shift. We didn't talk but there was less tension in the air, which made me feel better. I also had those butterflies back in my stomach, which was just typical.

Once my shift had finished, I made my way home.

I wasn't sure what I was in for, but I knew it wasn't going to be pretty.

As I expected, my mum was still in the same mood…

Dad was around, but trying to busy himself with anything he could get his hands on…

But there was no sign of Josh…

"He's out the back," my dad had said whilst fixing the chain on a bike.

It was strange to hear that my brother was outside. He had spent most of his time indoors recently, but clearly, he had opted for a change in scenery.

I made my way outside. I found my brother sat on some chairs, not too far away from the entrance just staring at the duel arena. I watched him for a second as he just stared, it was clear he was in a bad way…

"Hey bud," I said, making my way over to him.

He looked up at me with a weak smile.

"Hey Jay, how was the shop?"

I knew he wasn't really asking; it was more of a conversation starter on his end.

"Yeah, everything's good over there."

Josh nodded at me before turning back to the look at the duel arena.

I needed something to cheer him up. It wasn't that he was acting any different, but that was slightly the problem, Josh was always full of life and the one trying to cheer people up.

Suddenly, I had a thought…

There was one way…

I mean, I wasn't sure I was ready, but I knew it would cheer Josh up…

And hell, it might actually help me in some way…

I looked at my brother, "hey, do you fancy a duel?"

He turned to me looking confused…

"Jay, dad is busy, he can't duel right now..."

He looked disappointed once more…

"I know dads busy, but what about duelling me?"

I've never seen my brother surprised, or rather, I've seen him as surprised as he was the moment those words left my mouth…

"Wait, what?"

I smiled at him.

"You want to duel me?"

"Yeah," I said, shrugging my shoulders as if it was nothing.

"OH MY GOD!"

Then, in a flash, my brother was up and running indoors.

To be truthful, I wasn't really sure about it. But the smile my brother had on his face once he reappeared certainly made it worth the risk.

My dad had even stopped what he was doing and had come outside to spectate, which I guess meant this was kind of a big deal. Mum had even woken up to watch the proceedings.

I slipped the duel disk on my arm, it actually felt quite nice, like a familiar feeling.

"You know, I've been waiting for this moment for a while," my brother said, stepping up onto the podium across from me.

"I think we all have," said my mum.

I looked at her and couldn't believe my eyes. She was actually eating.

"What are you waiting for?"

I could tell my dad was giddy and trying desperately hard to keep his emotions under wraps.

It was weird how one duel could change my entire families mood…

I guess I knew this was going to be worth it…

"Well Joshie, I guess, it's time to…"

This was going to be weird…

"GET YOUR.."

Before I could even finish, I felt something in the air…

Something that didn't feel right…

"Err Jaden…"

I looked at my brother who staring into the arena. Stood there was a figure, I couldn't make out if they were male or female. In fact, I couldn't tell if it was even human. It was covered in pure black and I could feel the stench of something dark around it.

"Josh…"

I looked at my brother.

"Get down now."

He didn't hesitate. He made his way quickly down. I followed not long after, but it wasn't much use. Whatever it was had followed us, appearing from nowhere in front of my brother, mother, father and I…

"Now, now, Mr Yuki, where do you think you're going?"

It was human, at least I think they were, but its voice dripped with evil. Now that I was closer, I couldn't see its face or anything for that matter, it was almost as if the darkness was blurring my vision.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Well, we'll have plenty of time to answer those questions…"

"How do you know my name?"

However, I didn't get an answer…

I could feel the anger coming through me as they just laughed…

I knew something was up. This didn't feel right. No one appeared from out of nowhere and that feeling, the evil feel, something wasn't right…

"Well, well, we have a little fight. After the way you were during the fire, I didn't think you had much of that…"

I froze….

How could they tell…

What I was feeling…

And the fire….

_Oh yes Jaden, I can feel those emotions, the anger, the hatred…_

_It's funny, you didn't even realise that I started the fire…_

And they can hear my thoughts…

"Did you really think that fire started magically on its own?"

I didn't have an answer, but I was getting some…

This, whatever it was, had started the fire…

"It's a shame really, your sister would love to see you I'm sure, but it's a shame she won't be able to see you again after I'm finished, but I tell her you missed her…"

The hooded figure started whispering to themselves as I stood in my spot…

_Tessa?_

_Yes, Jaden, she is alive…_

Beside me, my family had been silent but the mention of Tessa had sparked them into life.

"What, what about my Tessa?"

My mother stepped forward, eagerly willing the figure to continue…

"Oh my dear, she is with me…"

My mother's entire body sagged, perhaps more in relief than in happiness…

"But now, I must take another one from you…"

And then, the next moments where all a blur…

My brother started shouting….

Then, before I knew it, he was gone…

The figure started laughing, shouting about collecting all the Yuki's, then fixed his attentions to me, my parents helpless at seeing Josh disappear…

Then all of a sudden, a white light appeared…

"AHHHH," shouted the figure, "curse you!"

The light only seemed to get stronger….

"Mark my words Jaden Yuki, I will be back, but if you want to see your siblings again, you'll have to come to me!"

Suddenly the atmosphere around us changed, and everything settled down…

I opened my eyes after the light had faded and to my surprise, there was nothing more in front of me. My parents were both out of it, lying on the floor…

_When did that happen?_

I checked on them to make sure everything was okay…

I stood for a minute, taking in what had just happened…

_Tess is okay…_

_But whatever, whoever that was, now has both her and Josh…_

_How do I save them?_

I felt a reel of emotions course through me…

_And how did my parents end up unconscious, did that thing get them as well?_

_Your parents are fine, but I might be able to help you answer that other one…._

As if this day couldn't get any weirder….

* * *

**Well…**

**That was quite heavy…**

**Hopefully you followed…**

**Let me know what you thought…**

**Good news and bad for Jaden…**

**Review, favourite and follow…**

**I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, I'm busy this weekend, so will probably be next Friday.**

**But until next time…**

**Writey x**


	24. Space and Time?

**Welcome back guys,**

**Hopefully you all enjoyed that last chapter.**

**Sorry I was a bit longer with this one, I'll try to keep pace with these from now on.**

**It was a tough one to write, but I think it came across well, it's time to dive a little deeper into everything today…**

**Hopefully you'll like this…**

**Don't forget to favourite, follow and review…**

**But let's get right into business,**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

It is fair to say the past few days have been rather strange…

But then again, they haven't, compared to a lot of things that have happened recently…

Ever since the reunion…

Scrap that ever since Jaden came back into my life, everything has just gone crazy…

I mean take the past few days for example…

I was just casually at work, then next thing you know, I had a headache and I was taken to some telepathy realm.

Or at least, that's what I was calling it…

I wasn't even really surprised when Yugi and Solomon told us all about it, the telepathic link between Jaden and me. I mean it certainly wasn't the weirdest thing that was happening to us of late anyway.

It had actually come in handy at some points recently, even though we were barely talking but really, it wasn't a surprise in the end. I mean, Solomon and Yugi being there had taken me aback but then again, they had been involved in so much already that it didn't come as breaking news.

Then you had everything at the card shop…

Jaden had come back, or at least gradually come back…

We had started talking a little, mainly through our newfound telepathy but then again, we had still been distancing ourselves.

We had made progress, especially after the incident involving the ladder…

Now, let me put it out there, the whole ladder thing hadn't been on purpose, but I didn't mind being saved you know…

Anyway, after that everything had been easier, we went about our work without having to avoid each other, even manging to have proper conversation without getting mad at each other…

I sat on my sofa at home. I'd been meaning to go around to the Yuki's for a while but hadn't had the courage to do so. It wasn't that I was avoiding them, I just didn't know what to say. Malcom and Josh had been to the shop a few times whilst they were out searching and I'd managed to speak to them then, but other than that, I'd barely heard from them.

"What are you watching?"

Jesse came down and sat next to me. He had been a big help the past few days since the argument Jaden that I'd had back at the party. He managed to help me get home after that night because I was in state by the end.

"Errrr… not much to be fair," I said offering him the remote.

He took it from me and started scrolling through the channels, I hadn't really been watching with everything on my mind.

_Come upstairs…_

I jolted with surprise, scaring Jesse as well…

"Jesus Alexis, you scared the hell out of me."

I laughed nervously, "yeah sorry… I errrr…. thought I saw a spider."

_Alexis, upstairs…_

I knew that voice…

But why now?

_Wait! Give me a minute!_

"Alexis?"

_Dam it, now I missed what he said!_

The voice rumbled, clearly laughing…

_Not funny Jaden…_

_Oh, but it is…_

"Alexis, is something wrong?"

"Umm, no, I just need to get something, I'll be back in a second?"

Jesse looked sceptical at first but eventually gave in.

"Okay, but I'm not waiting for you."

I smiled, "that's fine, I don't like The Great British Bake-off anyway…"

I laughed as I walked away at Jesse's reaction. Ever since he got that job at the bakery all he's wanted to do is watch that show…

I made my way upstairs. I don't know what I was more nervous about, Jaden or the fact that I had no idea why this was happening…

_When you get to your room, sit on your bed…_

My heart started racing…

This was a bit forward…

_No Alexis, not like that…_

I smiled at those comments as I entered my room and sat on my bed…

_Right, what now?_

_Well, you better be ready…_

Suddenly, the bright light appeared again, and the searing pain went through my head…

_Surely there has to be a better way to do this?_

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

I found myself standing in an all too familiar café, but my mind was reeling…

I mean, what had just happened…

One minute I was planning to have a duel with my brother, then the next thing I know, there's this….

This thing, standing there right in front of us. Not to mention the fact that it threatened me…

_Was that what Yugi was trying to warn me about?_

_Time, Jaden, in time I will explain…_

I look around, I mean, if I were able to hear a voice, surely, I would have been able to see who the voice belonged too.

_You'd think so wouldn't you, but it doesn't quite work like that…_

_What… What do you mean?_

_I mean, you know you don't have to be somewhere to be able to talk to someone like this…_

The voice was right, I knew that. Whoever the voice belonged too, it sounded wise, like Solomon but maybe x10 wiser. I wanted to listen to them, I wanted to understand what they were saying…

I shook myself free from this mini trance. After everything going on recently, I wasn't about to let my guard down in case this was some trick…

_Oh Jaden, do you really think I'd let you be here if I was going to hurt you, I would have sorted that out already…_

I tried to ignore the voice…

_What do you want with me?_

_Well, actually that is a very good question, but I can't answer that until Miss Rhodes is here…_

_Alexis? What do you want with her?_

I anger spark…

Was I…

Being protective?

_Don't worry Jaden, I merely want her here, similarly to you ,I want to explain…_

Well, I mean, that didn't sound particularly threatening…

_Okay…_

_Good, now, how to get Miss Rhodes here?_

Everything went silent for minute…

_I could try…_

It felt weird saying that after not speaking to Alexis recently, but it was true, I could try…

_Very well, go ahead…_

For the next few minutes I attempted to draw Alexis here, but I didn't want to just let her pass out. I took a bit longer than anticipated but I managed to get her away from Jesse and upstairs. It would have been some explaining to do to him.

_Ugh…_

_I know, sorry, it was the only way…_

_I wish it wasn't, I get the worst headaches from it._

She did have a point, all this dropping in and out could not be healthy for the old brain.

_There are other ways Miss Rhodes, I'd be willing to teach you some time…_

I looked at Alexis who froze in her spot…

_Why is there a random voice in the café?_

I smiled at her; it did seem that way.

_This is…_

She looked at me expectedly.

_You know, I don't actually know who this is…_

_Ahh yes, seems only fitting now the both of you are here…_

Suddenly there was a glow, a white light just like I saw in the garden. Then, before us was something I wasn't expecting to see. A tall, wise looking man dressed in the finest white robe stood there looking down on us.

_Explains the wise feeling I had…_

He wasn't actually standing, more hovering and he looked vaguely familiar…

Then it hit me…

_You're…_

_Bingo…_

Luckily, I still had my duel disk and deck attached to my arm, so I started to rifle through it…

I could tell Alexis was very confused.

_One, Jaden, why are you wearing a duel disk?_

_Was going to duel Josh before I got here…_

If I hadn't been so preoccupied looking through the cards, I imagine I would of seen a shocked expression on Alexis's face…

_Oh… Okay… Let's just act as if that information is nothing new…_

I could hear the frustration in her voice, so I stopped what I was doing and looked at her.

_I was trying to cheer him up, so I thought this was the best way to do so…_

Suddenly, the look on her turned apologetic…

_Oh… Err… I'm sorry…_

_No, don't worry, it's fine, well not fine because my brother is missing as well._

I went back to searching whilst Alexis looked shocked again.

_What is it with you and brushing over important things right now?_

_AHA! Found it!_

I held out a card in the direction of the newly formed person and took a look…

_I knew it!_

_Very good Jaden, I didn't expect you to get it so quickly, especially as you haven't used it…_

I felt slightly guilty when he said that but moved on quickly…

_Wait…_

Alexis stepped closer to me.

_Isn't that…_

She took the card from me to have a better look…

_Indeed Miss Rhodes…_

_So, you're the Dark Magician of Space and Time?_

_Well, actually not entirely, the 'dark' bit doesn't really apply, but it is in my title, so yes, but I go by Delorium…_

Alexis and I looked at Delorium, then at each other and back again.

Come to think of when you look at him, he does have some resemblance to both DK and Dee in one way or another…

_Ahh yes… Well… Dee and DK… Where are they?_

As if saying their names summoned them, they appeared next to us.

_Someone say our…_

They both paused and looked in the direction of Delorium.

_Master…_

_Father…_

Dee whacked DK on the head…

_Owe…_

She gave a look…

_Oh right, sorry master…_

Delorium shook his head at the two…

_How many times have I told the two of you not too call me master?_

Both Dee and DK lowered their heads…

_Err… What's going on?_

In truth, I was also slightly confused.

_Oh, hey Alexis…_

Dee gave Alexis a hug, well attempted too anyway…

_Dee, please…_

Dee smiled at Alexis and took a step back. We both turned to face Delorium, who had now ventured over to a table with five chairs.

_Please, all of you, come and sit…_

We all quickly made our way over…

He didn't look like the type of guy you wanted to ignore.

Delorium waved his hand and several drinks and sandwiches appeared.

_Oh nice, this again!_

I grabbed a sandwich and some orange juice and tucked in.

The anticipation of duelling had made me hungry…

Some things will never change…

DK went to grab some food, but Delorium swatted his hand away…

_No, you two, if you want some, you'll have to order your own…_

Dee and DK mumbled under their breath as they order, which made me feel slightly guilty…

_Don't worry Jaden, eat up, those two know I only buy for guests, they usually order their own anyway…_

_Guests?_

It was a good job I could use my mind because I had a mouthful of cheese and tomato sandwich as I thought that…

_Yes, you see, this place we're in, is called Obseleasium, I created it myself…_

I looked around, that did make more sense. I mean I knew it probably had a better name than 'Telepathy Realm.'

_You were the one that brought us here the other day?_

Delorium nodded…

_Why?_

_Well, that was more for Yugi and Solomon, but I'll explain that in a bit…_

I was confused, Yugi and Solomon said they didn't know what this place was, so how did Delorium know how to create it for them…

Once Dee and DK had finished ordering and we had eaten all we could, Delorium waved his arm and cleared everything off the table.

_Right, shall we begin?_

Alexis and I looked at each other, whilst Dee clapped her hands in excitement.

_Oooo, this bit is so exciting…_

_Please, Delilah, some calm…_

Dee instantly stopped clapping and a serious expression passed over her face…

We all turned our attention to Delorium…

_Jaden, Alexis, how much do you know?_

I looked at him as if he was speaking a different language…

_Of what?_

Delorium stayed silent…

_We know very little Delorium, only about Dee, DK, Yugi, Solomon and our mind link, that is all…_

I'm glad Alexis is here. Even though I was trying, it was hard to concentrate with everything I had witnessed at my house only a little while ago.

_Very well, I shall go back to the beginning…_

Delorium waved his hands and a sphere circle appeared next to him, with different pictures flashing through it…

I wanted to ask a question about it, but I felt as though this was a moment to stay silent…

_In the beginning of existence…_

As Delorium talked, there were pictures appearing, no, almost memories, appearing within the floating sphere…

_Please Jaden…. Focus…._

I nodded and focussed on what was being said…

_In the beginning of existence there was nothing, until, four entities collided with one another…._

_Space…_

_Time…_

_Light…_

_And Dark…_

He paused for a minute, almost for effect…

_Those entities formed to create what you see today, life, but in order to do so, they had to create a being, a being to watch over them, control them…_

As I watched the videos flicked through, I realised, that this being that was in fact Delorium…

_That's you…_

He nodded and then continued…

_Indeed, I was created with the intention of being the lone arbiter over these entities…_

I wracked my brain; did that mean I was in the presence of a god…

_No Jaden, like you I was created, I am a being, but a being with immense power…_

Remind me never to get on his bad side…

_These entities became mine and mine alone to control, but…_

I watched as different emotions flooded over Delorium…

Dee and DK each placed a hand over him, almost as a calming tool…

_But, with all this great power, these entities started to become too much for me, one grew, becoming greater than the others…_

_Darkness…_

Alexis said it as more of a whisper…

_Indeed, the darkness inside me started to take over and therefore, I had to do something about it…_

He looked and smiled at Dee and DK, who smiled back…

_I enlisted the help of several other beings, created with the intention of helping control this power, whilst also harnessing its full potential…_

I looked at Dee and DK, who both had their eyes fixed on us, smiling…

_I enlisted the help of Delilah, Der…._

DK instantly shuddered and Delorium paused…

_DK and Deutorius to help me control these entities…._

I looked at Delorium, who was beaming at the two…

_So, you, shared your power?  
_

_Indeed Jaden, that is correct, but I still harnessed most of the power, controlling all the elements…_

Dee and DK nodded. It was starting to make sense now. They weren't related but they were like family and Delorium asked for them to be created therefore almost taking a fatherly type role in their lives, whilst almost guiding them.

_Precisely Jaden, he is our mentor and father…_

I looked at DK and smiled, there was so much I didn't know…

Alexis was doing the same at Dee…

_Indeed, but… In order to harness this power, I had to separate it, something I didn't have in the beginning…_

He held out his hand pointing towards DK…

_In DK, I shared the power of space…._

I looked at DK and things were starting to click…

_That explains the constant disappearing…._

_Precisely, DK has the power to control space…_

He then held out his other hand towards Dee…

_In Delilah, I shared the power of time…_

I looked at Dee, that made less sense, but I guess there hadn't been a need for time…

_And within both, I shared both the power of light and dark in order to create balance…_

I looked at them. Maybe I had taken them for granted, they were very powerful beings…

I started thinking though…

_You mentioned another name? Deutorius?_

As I mentioned the name, Dee and DK started to shake and Delorium's face started to change…

_Jaden… What happened to you before you got here?_

I started to cast my mind back and it got me thinking…

_I was duelling, or rather about to duel my brother and then this figure appeared in front of me and said he would take another…_

Dee and DK suddenly looked at me, worried expressions cast over their faces…

_You…_

_You saw him?_

I was confused once more…

_Saw who?_

Delorium steadied his two apprentices, who were starting to shake, and look towards me…

_Jaden, you were face to face with Deutorius himself…_

I stared at Delorium for a minute…

_I was…_

_Indeed Jaden, you were face to face with another being of great power, power that he doesn't use wisely…_

I stared at them once more.

Okay…

So…

There was Delorium, who started it all…

Then he created DK, Dee and Deutorius. DK had space. Dee had time.

_Then what did Deutorius have?_

Delorium shuddered, this I could tell wasn't an easy story.

_Just like DK and Dee, I shared my power with him, but unlike these two, Deutorius seemed more resistant, he was able to hold more similarly to me…_

I noticed that Dee and DK's heads dropped slightly at those comments.

_And with that, I shared more of the light and dark with him, entrusting space and time to these two…_

_But he became greedy, he wanted more power, which I knew was a sign that the darkness was taking over him…_

_So, I tried to weed his power away from him…_

There was a momentary pause, as if he was contemplating something.

_He wasn't always bad, but the darkness it got to him and he started to think irrationally, I didn't have any other choice…_

Dee and DK once again placed their hand on Delorium…

_You did what was right…_

_You did master…_

Delorium breathed in and then pronounced to continue his story…

_In the end, the darkness had fully consumed him, so I did the only thing I could, I banished him to a place of infinite darkness…_

I was starting to understand now. It was clear that this Deutorius was the guy that had confronted me…

That meant…

_Deutorius, he has my brother and sister…_

Alexis looked at me, with complete concern…

_Jaden I…_

I knew her concern, especially after what I had just been told but I wasn't going to let that get to me, Josh was strong, and I knew he would find Tessa.

If a godlike creature could, then Delorium had gone pale white…

_This…_

_This is not good…_

Alexis and I looked at each other…

_What do you mean?_

_Over time, Deutorius learned to harness the darkness and create a realm all of his own. He learned to harness the power of time, which he had always wanted, and use it to warp his own living realm and get out of the one I had put him in…_

I started to feel sick. At first, I had hoped he had held them hostage in the place Delorium had taken them too, but I started to feel like that wasn't the case…

_This place, where is it?_

Delorium focussed his gaze at me…

_Jaden, this place, it isn't for the faint hearted, few return from the place and I barely came out of there myself…_

I switched and I looked at him…

_Then you can get me there…_

His faced dropped…

_Jaden it isn't that simple…_

I started to feel frustration come over me…

_No, it is that simple..._

I felt something touch my arm and realised that Alexis was looking at me…

_Jaden, I know you want to help Josh and Tessa, heck, I do as well, but it might not be that simple…_

I looked at Alexis and I felt reason come over me. She was right. I didn't know what I was going up against, only that he was very dangerous.

_Delorium._

Alexis started animatedly looking at the spirit…

_What is this place? Why is it so dangerous?_

_Well, in creating his realm, he warped time, meaning that when you're there you age far quicker than usual…_

That rang a bell…

_Victor…. that sounds like Victor!_

Delorium nodded…

_Indeed Jaden, Victor Stoichiev is one of the few people I know to have gotten himself out of the darkness realm…_

_You knew him?_

_Indeed, well, DK had told me, so I went to investigate and that's how he came to you…_

It was all starting to make sense…

_So, you've been watching me this whole time?_

Delorium nodded.

_Yes, from a distance, I have been watching both of you._

I looked at Alexis, who was confused.

_The two of us, how am I involved in this?_

_Ahh Alexis, you are an important part. You were the one who started the chain. You are the one who can help us put away Deutorius for good._

_How? How can I?_

Delorium started to move as if deciding how to put whatever it was, he was about to say next…

_You see, what Deutorius wants is to destroy what I created. That being this realm. But, in order to do that needs to rid it of all of one thing to cause unrest…_

So basically, he wants to destroy the world…

Great…

_He won't target space or time because he can't take these two on…_

He pointed at DK and Dee, who both had their chests puffed out slightly.

_He won't rid of the dark, clearly._

Yeah that made sense…

That means…

_The only thing he can target is light…_

_Right, exactly, he can only take light…_

_But don't DK and Dee hold some of that as well…_

Delorium suddenly looked sad again…

_That…._

_That isn't the case, after what happened with Deutorius, I took the darkness from them and I took light as well…_

I smiled slightly; it was clear he cared greatly about these two…

_I trained then to not lose out to their entities and over time, they have managed to control them, but I dare not risk giving them back light or dark…_

It made sense, but then what did he do with it?

At that moment, he started to look around, almost as if he didn't want to heard by anyone but us…

He then started to whisper slightly…

_I decided, where would the last place he would look, therefore I created two humans…_

I stood there stunned for a minute…

_Wait…_

_Yes Jaden, I created two humans and split the light and dark between them…_

It was all starting to make sense…

Except one thing…

_How do you do that? Do they not age?_

_Oh no Jaden, they are like you and Alexis, they can die, they can age, the entities simply pass onto a new pair of children…_

_So, then, is that why Deutorius is here, hunting them…_

_Indeed, he wants to take back the light and he's using his darkness to infect it, which I think it already is…_

Then, I worked it out…

_He's trying to find them…_

_Precisely and I think he thinks you're one of them Jaden…_

A pit in my stomach started to form. It all made sense now. He was trying to get to me.

_Yes Jaden, that is why I got Yugi and Solomon to warn you…_

Wait…

_Hold on, I thought they didn't know about you, or at least that's what they said…_

Delorium started laughing…

_Aha, is that so. No, they do know about me, in fact they were the ones who started to worry about you first, they were worried he was after you…_

The card shop….

_He knew, Yugi knew he would come, so put us in some place that he could keep an eye on us…_

Delorium started to nod…

_Yes, but they didn't want to give anything away, that's why they worked out about your memory reading…_

Stupid memory reading…

I started to work everything out…

_We need to go confront him…_

Everybody turned to face me, looking shocked.

_Jaden, that might not…_

_Delorium listen, either way, Deutorius is going to come for me and I need to save my family, so the best way to do that is head on…._

_But you will be meeting him on his terms…_

I paused for a moment…

_I know, but, I have to save them…_

Delorium looked at me, considering everything I'd said…

_Hmm, very well, but first you must work out how to do this. I can get you in, but you need to plan…_

I nodded…

For the next few moments, Delorium gave us everything he knew on the place, before eventually finishing.

_Well, this is it…_

_If you need anything come to me, you can contact me now you know who I am, just ask for me and mutter…_

_**Great Delorium, I call on thee…**_

I held back a laugh as he finished…

_That's not funny…_

He didn't look best pleased…

_It is a little bit my lord…_

I looked at Dee and DK, who were smiling at me…

_Hmm, well, time to get you both back…_

_Wait but…_

Before I even had time to finish, there was a bright white light then everything went dark….

I awoke on, lying on the grass, almost exactly where I was before I had gone to Obseleasium.

Clearly, Delorium didn't have time for goodbyes…

My head felt like a train had hit it, but then again it usually did after this.

I looked around me, my parents were still lying there, out cold…

How do I explain to them what happened?

I was fairly sure they would have no idea anyway, but then again; it was only fair I tell them considering it has a lot to do with Josh and Tessa.

I started thinking to myself and I started plotting…

There was no chance I was leaving my brother and sister in there and I had all the information I needed.

This was it…

I was going to the Darkness Realm….

* * *

**There you go guys, hope you enjoyed that and it was worth the wait.**

**I'll try and put together the next chapter as quickly as possible but like I said, if it doesn't arrive on time, wait until the next Monday or Friday.**

**But, we are getting closer and closer to the end, so please make sure to keep up with the feedback and I'll be sure to keep getting the chapters ready as quickly as possible.**

**Until then, look after yourselves…**

**Writey x**


	25. Planning and Preparation

**Hey guys,**

**Let's keep on going, the story is coming to its end and it should be a cracking finish.**

**Sorry it's been another long delay, been having an internet meltdown recently but it looks all good now!**

**I hope you've all enjoyed the story and want to perhaps read a sequel. **

**We'll have to wait and see though what happens with all that.**

**But without further ado, let's get into it.**

**Review, favourite and follow.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

"I don't know, it just sounds risky."

I fell back into my chair.

We had been here for hours.

Sat opposite of me, my mother and father started to wipe away the whiteboard that was on the table. We had been planning and prepping how to save Josh and Tess from the darkness realm. We'd gone through every angle, every possible scenario, but still, we couldn't seem to get around the fact that the time warping was going to cause us problems.

I definitely didn't want to come back older than my parents that was for sure.

"There has to be a way…"

It was safe to say that my mother was stressing. Ever since I had told her and my father about my plan to save Josh and Tessa, she had been non-stop trying to work out how to do exactly that, but it was getting to a point where she was becoming paranoid with it all.

"There will be mum, I promise…"

I put my hand over hers and I saw the tension within her fade.

I hadn't wanted to tell them all the details. I don't know how they were going to take the news that I was being hunted down by a being with infinite darkness who was out to destroy me.

Probably wouldn't sit well with them…

No. As far as they knew, I had a safe, easy plan to get them out, minus the danger.

"Maybe we should take a break," my dad said, standing from his chair, "we've been at it for hours and we're not making progress."

He was right. I had been planning since the minute I found out yesterday. Ever since Delorium had told me the truth. In a strange way, I felt better now. I knew everything. There wasn't anything to surprise me anymore.

"_You never know that Jaden."_

"_I have to believe that Yubel."_

Yubel and DK had too been planning with me most of the time. Both had been helpful in sorting out the important bits, but no one knew how to get past aging problem.

DK had asked Dee, but she said she'd never heard of anything like it.

I went over to the kitchen and made a drink.

"_There has to be a way, maybe Delilah knows another form of time we can use to counteract it…"_

DK, who had been floating beside me, suddenly disappeared and then in a blink of an eye, reappeared once more.

"_No good…"_

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Except, whoever it was didn't wait for me to answer and just came steamrolling into the kitchen.

They slammed something down in front of me.

"I've got it!"

"Alexis?"

Indeed, Alexis was scrambling around with the piece of paper she had just put on the table.

"Alexis, what are you doing here?"

My mother and father returned from the garden having probably heard Alexis come charging into the house.

Still, silence…

"Alexis, for goodness sake, what are you on about?"

Finally, she looked up from whatever it was towards me…

"This is it Jaden, our way into the darkness realm…"

* * *

_**Alexis's POV**_

Plan, plan, plan….

That's all I'd been doing for the past 24 hours.

Ever since Delorium had sent us back, Jaden and I had been trying to work out the best to save the world…

Well, for him, saving his family was probably more important, but still, he wanted to save the world as well.

We'd tried to go through every detail…

Every little thing that could go wrong, we'd planned for…

I mean, it wasn't like it was going to be perfect but at least we were trying to be prepared.

I'd been at the Yuki's for most of it. Malcom and Susan had been there after we'd told them what was going on. We didn't give them every detail but at least there was some hope for them both that we would be able to save their children after all.

I'd managed to finally talk to Susan, one on one. I'd been trying to find a way to talk to her and I'd figured that this was a better time than any to check on her.

After all, ever since I'd arrived, she'd been like a motherly figure to me….

I'd been at home for most of the afternoon.

I thought some alone time would help clear my head. We'd been trying to work out how to get past the age altering problem.

_No, that won't work _

I held out the piece of paper. Dee and I were crowded over a table trying to work out an idea.

_Are you sure?_

I looked at Dee with hope more than expectation.

_Trust me Alexis, I do possess the power of time and all, that won't work._

I slumped back in my chair.

She was right, she did have the power to control time and all that…

Then it hit me…

_Wait!_

I grabbed the pen and started to scribble my thoughts.

_What is it Alexis?_

Silence…

_Then if…_

I felt Dee start to hover over me and read…

_Hey…_

She started doing calculations on her fingers…

_That might work you know._

I finished all my writing, folded up the paper, put it in a backpack and then shot out into my car. If I was being honest, I definitely broke one or two speed limits on my way over as I arrived at the Yuki's house.

I got out the car and went to the door.

Usually, I would wait outside, but time was of the essence and I just had an urge to charge inside.

I did knock once, but became impatient, so went in anyway.

I knew the everybody was in considering we hadn't done anything else since yesterday. I made my way through to the kitchen where I was greeted by Jaden.

I didn't stop as I made my way beside him. He tried talking to me, but I didn't respond. I was too busy fixated on the content of my backpack in front of me.

Eventually I responded; "this is it Jaden, our way into the darkness realm, I think I've worked out a way to sort it."

"Really?"

Perhaps as quickly as I had ever seen him, Jaden made his way to look at the piece of paper with me.

I hadn't realised that Jaden's parents too had come into the kitchen once I had arrived.

I could tell Jaden was scanning the paper, because I don't think I'd ever seen him focus this hard on anything before.

The idea itself was pretty simple and I wasn't sure whether it would even work, but it was the best idea we'd had the entire time.

"You know this could work…"

Jaden moved back to the dining room table and we all followed closely behind. He started rummaging through some papers and then eventually found what he was looking for.

"So…"

He unfolded the piece of paper that we had written down the complete plan on and started pointing.

"There will be two of us, correct?"

Everybody stayed silent but nodded.

"We'll have enough food to last us a week, our time."

Nodding once more.

"We'll have everything we need in a backpack in case of danger…"

He hesitated with that. We both knew that there definitely was danger, but we didn't like the thought of using whatever it was we were going to pack to deal with the danger.

His parents nodded and I just looked at him.

_We need to take our decks as well._

He glanced at me.

_Yeah, well, you can, I'll bring mine, but I don't want to have to use it._

I thought for a second. Yesterday, Jaden was ready to do duel to help cheer his brother up but now he won't even touch his deck.

Maybe….

Maybe he blamed his duelling as the reason Josh had been taken.

I put that to the back of my mind for a minute when I realised, I hadn't responded to Jaden.

_Yeah, let's do that._

He nodded.

"Okay then, I guess we go and find out whether this plan will really work or not."

We explained to Susan and Malcom what needed to happen. They agreed and decided to start getting together anything they thought would be useful for the trip.

I went with Jaden to the front room.

_Better be safe than sorry._

I nodded back at him and then he started to mutter under his breath.

"Great Delorium, I call on thee."

Now, at this point I was expecting him to appear in front of us but, there was just another splitting headache and white light…

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

Alexis's plan was brilliant…

If it worked…

I mean I believed that it was going to work, I had too in many senses. Either way we had to go and see Delorium, he was the only that could truly give us the answers that we had been looking for.

Once, the headache had disappeared the usual restaurant appeared and as I expected, Delorium was there, but he wasn't wearing the same stuff, he was in what looked to be a Hawaiian shirt and some swim shorts.

_Delorium?_

He spun round on the bar stool he was seated on and stared at us.

Well, he was looking at us, but he had sunglasses on.

_Ahh there you are, what is so important that you interrupted my beach volleyball match?_

I had to stifle a laugh.

_I have sooooo many questions._

I looked at Alexis who was also clearly trying not to laugh. After a few minutes of questioning, we discovered that Delorium could turn into any human form and it just so happened that we interrupted 'Papi' playing a competitive game of beach volleyball.

_I might have to call you Papi from now on you know._

Alexis laughed and clearly Delorium was not impressed.

_Is this all you came here for?_

That snapped us both back into reality. We looked at each other. We'd already decided that it was best for Alexis to do the talking. I knew I wanted to, but it was her idea and she would probably explain it best.

_Well, here's the thing…_

It was as if Delorium could almost sense the serious nature of the conversation because he took the sunglasses off and started to inch further forward on his stool.

_We think we've figured a way to get into the darkness realm._

Delorium clapped his hands and stood up.

Well, started floating…

_Well, that's terrific, I can start…_

He went silent as if doing some maths…

_No…_

_Nope, I'm not doing it…_

Alexis and I looked at each other.

_Please Delorium. How else are we going to stay the same age?_

He studied us for a second.

_You knew the sacrifices…_

I started to feel mad. Why wasn't he helping us?

_Come on! Surely you can do this for us._

He just stared at us. I couldn't believe it. Why couldn't he just do this for us?

_Because it didn't work last time Jaden…_

_Huh? Last time?_

There was a last time…

But he had said…

Wait…

_Victor?_

Delorium nodded.

_Indeed. I knew something was up, so I tried to protect him…._

More hesitation...

He didn't say anything else, but I knew what he was trying to say…

I looked at him.

_Delorium, this is our last hope._

I looked at Alexis. She had been rather silent on the topic up until that point.

_We know the risk. But we're not going to sit by and watch, we need to rescue my family and I'm willing to do whatever in order to make sure that is going to happen._

He looked at us once more.

_Okay. I'll do it._

Thank god.

_But I don't know how effective it is going to be._

Delorium shut his eyes and held out his hands.

He started to hum, clap and click his fingers. This time though he wasn't actually saying anything. It took a couple of minutes before he opened back up.

_Step towards me._

Alexis and I looked at each other for a minute before doing as we were told. We slowly stepped forward.

Delorium then placed his hands onto our foreheads.

_Okay… this isn't weird._

Then humming then continued.

Nothing really happened at first. I mean, mostly silence. Alexis and I looked at each other a few times, hoping more than expecting.

Then, there was a pulse…

Well, something shot through my body.

_Whoa…_

Delorium had opened his eyes. But he looked confused, as if something didn't add up.

_That…_

He paused again for a minute.

_What is it?_

He was scanning the room as if looking for something before his eyes landed on us.

_That doesn't make any sense. It doesn't usually work like that…_

Alexis and I looked at each other. It wasn't as if we had any idea really what was going on. In truth, I didn't feel any different so as far as I was concerned, it could have failed.

After a few minutes of 'checks' as he called them Delorium gave up.

_I don't know whether it worked or not…_

_Well, that's great…_

Suddenly, Delorium's eyes shot upwards above our heads.

_That…_

_That's impossible…_

Alexis and I looked directly up to see what he was looking at.

Above us, were what I could only describe as floating bubbles. But I couldn't really tell what was in them or indeed what they even meant.

_Err, care to explain?_

I saw a smile start to creep onto Delorium's face as he stared at the two of us.

_Well Jaden, it appears to me that it was a complete success._

I felt my heart jump.

It had worked.

But then, I felt cautious.

_You said something was impossible though?_

Delorium's smile grew.

_Well, apparently it isn't impossible after all. You see, apparently, there was one thing I didn't take into account which is your bond with the two spirits._

He paused for a minute.

_It seems that because of this bond, you have this wall of protection around you that I didn't even realise was possible up until this very point. It seems that your human spirits have mixed together with the power of time and space._

Okay…

So…

We basically have power?

I looked at Alexis, who seemed to be having the same realisation as me.

_I will, for now, trust you two not to share this news, even with Delilah and DK until I figure out what it means. However, you are now safe from aging._

That was all I wanted to hear!

There was a rumbling and then something else appeared in Obseleasium.

_Father, I am here, what is the problem?_

I froze…

That voice…

I knew it…

Alexis and I shifted ourselves to face the person coming in.

At first, I was shocked…

Well, no, I was completely shocked.

_Ahh, my dear, there you are._

Then, she appeared around the corner from where we were sitting.

Once we made eye contact, she hesitated. Then eventually came and sat down opposite us.

_Hi Jaden, Alexis._

She looked at us as she sat down, but in all honesty, I was in complete shock.

_Sa… Sabrina…. What the…_

Sabrina giggled a little. It was as if we were at the card shop and it was nothing out of the ordinary.

_Surprise?_

She said it in a questioning way, as if asking whether it was good or not.

But then again, I was still lost.

_Err, yeah, you could say that…_

She started to blush, well if you can blush as a spirit of yourself.

_I think you need to explain my dear._

Delorium placed a hand on her shoulder, almost to reassure her.

_Well, this might take a while…_

_We have time._

I looked at Alexis. Clearly, we didn't have time. But I wasn't about to argue with her.

Delorium had been relatively quiet since she had arrived, only encouraging her to explain but I was starting to expect that this was part of some kind of plan of his…

_Well, I, errr… had been meaning to tell you before, but I didn't know how to explain it…_

Okay…

That didn't sound promising…

_Perhaps, it would be better if I explained it?_

Delorium rose up and stared at Alexis and I.

_Do you remember how I told you both that in order to hide the light and darkness from Deutorius I had to create two humans?_

I nodded.

_Well, you're looking at one of them…_

I blinked twice.

_Wait, so you're telling me…._

_Indeed._

_That Sabrina…_

_Yes Jaden…_

_Has the power of light and dark inside her?_

Delorium looked slightly fed up.

_Yes Jaden, she does alongside her brother harness the power of light and dark._

Sabrina flipped her hair looking very proud of herself.

_Oh great, Kyle does too!_

Wait, then everything made sense.

I saw Sabrina's expression change and her wince at the mention of Kyle.

_So, does that mean that Sabrina and Kyle are the two that Deutorius is after?_

Delorium nodded.

I felt angry.

They were the reason my brother and sister weren't here with me right now.

They were the reason I was being hunted down by an evil being.

They were the….

I had to keep calm…

_I know you're angry Jaden, but it wasn't Sabrina's decision, I had to work out if you were really being targeted or not._

It didn't matter I still felt angry…

_Jaden…_

Alexis placed her hand on my arm.

_Delorium's right, we can't stay angry. We have too much to focus on._

Alexis was right. We had everything we needed. I knew that it was time to save Tess and Josh.

_Very true._

Delorium started clapping his hands. Stuff started appearing around us. It looked as though it was everything my parents had prepared for us.

_I've prepared an extra kit for you Sabrina._

I jolted and looked at Delorium.

_Huh? What do you mean?_

I looked at Sabrina, who had dropped her head in shame.

But then I realised she was actually crying.

_Sabrina?_

I didn't get a response.

_Jaden._

Delorium looked at me.

_No, it's fine. I can tell him._

She looked up and I realised that indeed she had been crying.

_It's Kyle. He… He was taken. Just like your brother and sister. I need to get him back._

_Wasn't he working today?_

Sabrina sniffed.

_He was meant to, but when I went to wake him, he was gone and all that was there was a note from Deutorius._

Okay, now I felt guilty. Both Kyle and Sabrina were the ones really under threat and all I was doing was being selfish.

_Okay!_

I looked at Alexis. Sabrina also perked up.

_What are we waiting for?_

She looked at Delorium, almost expecting him to do something.

_Oh right, everything else you need will be with you when you arrive. If you think of anything else, I've cast a spell that should make it appear with you._

He picked up the bags and handed them to us.

_I need you to hold each other's hands._

Sabrina quickly grabbed mine and Alexis's hand.

Alexis then reached hers out towards me and I felt a blush creep over my face.

Once we had done that, Delorium stepped between us.

_I want you all to know…._

He paused.

It was clear he didn't really know what to say to us.

_Thank you._

And then with a click of his fingers everything went dark…

* * *

**There you go ladies and gentlemen.**

**Once again, I apologise for the length of delay between chapter but hopefully you liked that!**

**There will still be a few more chapters to come so don't hold your breath just yet but be ready for a bumper ending!**

**But until then, review, favourite and follow.**

**Stay safe and read lots.**

**Writey x**


	26. The Darkness Realm - Part 1

**Hey guys, **

**We're into the final five chapters. **

**I hope you thoroughly enjoy these, this, at the end of the day, is what you've all been waiting for. **

**I'll try to keep the posts as regular as possible, but I just don't know at the moment so please bear with me.**

**Anyway, hopefully you'll all enjoy this, try to leave feedback where you can. **

**I'm building up as to whether doing a sequel or not.**

**But, let's get on with it shall we.**

**Buckle up and enjoy the ride,**

**Writey x**

* * *

_**Jaden's POV**_

It was Tuesday afternoon, or at least I thought it was.

Josh had been here about a day.

Tess had been here about three days.

I didn't want to really picture what could have happened to them.

Or rather, how much older they were, but it was all I could think about as we arrived.

If you picture a darkness realm, it was pretty much what you would expect…

Darkness…

_Are you sure?_

We'd landed flat on our backs and when I say landed, I mean landed, it must have been a thirty-foot drop…

_Overexaggerating…_

Clearly, Alexis didn't agree.

Anyway, I hadn't really been able to take in my surroundings. I had pretty much just spent the time looking up into nothing, the darkness that was there. I managed to help myself into a seated position and finally realised what they meant.

Everything was dark, but it also felt like home.

Basically, picture Obseleasium, but instead of everything being light, it was all dark.

"This is so weird," Sabrina said, making her way to her feet.

She started to walk around and after a few steps something crunched.

"Umm, guys…"

She beckoned Alexis and I over, but I didn't like what I was greeted with.

"Oh, that can't be good."

Beneath the feet of Sabrina, laying in perfect symmetry was a skeleton.

I didn't want to think about who's bones they were, or rather what they were from. More importantly, I really didn't want to know how they ended up like that.

"Well, that's a lovely greeting," Alexis said, turning to face our stuff.

Sabrina stood motionless for second, so I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, let's go, the more we stand here, the more time we're going to lose finding your brother."

At first, Sabrina looked hesitant, then a steely determination seemed to pass over her face.

"You're right!"

She went over to Alexis and started to pick her own things up.

Once we'd grabbed everything, it became abundantly clear we had no idea what to do next…

I mean, we'd only planned so much, the actual details of this place weren't something that we'd really gone over, but I guess now was the best time to change that.

"I mean personally, I don't fancy going towards all the bones."

Alexis was pointing in the direction of where Sabrina had been stood and she was quite right, I personally didn't fancy that either.

"Well, which way then?"

I looked around, there wasn't anything specific, it was like we were in some kind of field. I thought I could make out what appeared to be some buildings in the distance, but I wasn't completely sure.

"Well, whichever way you decide, you need to hurry up and make up your mind…"

That voice wasn't of either Sabrina or Alexis and I knew exactly who it belonged to?

"DK?"

Standing about 20 yards away, was a figure, but it didn't look anything like DK. Beside him was a female and I also had a feeling I knew who that was as well.

"Indeed Jaden," said DK, slinging a backpack over his shoulder.

I don't really know what was weirder, the fact DK looked nothing like himself, or the fact that he was actually walking on the ground.

"What the…"

DK came over and smiled, "I'll explain on the way, but we can't hang around here, Deutorius will know we're already here, I imagine one of his scouts will have seen you guys land."

I still had so many questions, but if what DK was saying was true, then we really didn't have much time.

"Okay, then, where to?"

"That way," said the other person, pointing towards the bones.

It was Dee, but there were more pressing matters.

"Really, we had just decided that was the worst choice."

"Precisely, if we know Deutorius, then that is the exact way we should be going."

I looked in that direction once more. It didn't really look appetising, but it just felt right to trust them.

"How do you know all this?"

Dee and DK looked at each other.

"If there is one thing we do know, it is that this screams Deutorius and this is exactly part of his plan."

What did they mean part of his plan?

I gathered he was expecting us, but I wasn't so aware that he had fully planned for our arrival.

"Right, come on," said Dee, as she picked up the rest of Alexis's things.

That was another aspect I was going to have to adjust to, they were able to touch things.

Wait a second…

I reached out my hand and grabbed DK.

Now usually my hand would just pass straight through him but this time I got a handful of shirt.

"Okay, that's so weird…"

"I know Jaden and I will explain, but please hurry grab all your things."

There was an intensity about his voice and for the first time, I really didn't want to mess with DK. I finished picking up my things and followed on to DK as he set out.

As we made our way something became clearer, we were on a farm. It was definitely a farm. I mean there weren't any animals, but I for sure knew it was a farm.

I could see a barn, at least I thought it was a barn.

It could have been this place playing a trick on me. Delorium had warned us that it would try to mess with our heads, but I was pretty sure that it had been a farm.

We eventually reached a road. Everybody had kind of left DK to lead the way. The girls had been chatting non-stop since we started walking.

I had been caught up in my own thoughts.

How could we find Josh and Tessa?

This place, from what I could gather, was massive.

It could take ages to find them.

We might not even find them.

That thought had been rolling through my mind as well.

It was really going to be down to luck.

And I wasn't exactly the luckiest person going.

During the walk I'd managed to talk to DK, and he had explained everything.

Turns out Delorium had wanted them to come all along but he knew that Deutorius would sense their spirits in an instance so made them a body of sorts that they could possess.

He'd decided it would be a good disguise as well, considering they were the two people Deutorius had feared just as much as Delorium.

They're also here as an insurance, Delorium had told them how to sort out the aging problem.

I think that's the main reason but having them as insurance was always a bonus.

DK had also explained about Deutorius and realistically, he would have known their every move without DK and Dee.

They're almost able to put a shroud over them, even though they aren't completely covered it'll be a while before he can actually find them again.

Either way it was important they kept moving.

I think it was good to have them, it was more company for everyone as well.

We didn't know how long we were going to be here for but having more people around made the journey interesting.

We eventually stopped walking after a while.

I think Sabrina's moaning had finally worn-down DK and he allowed a five-minute break.

"Thank god, I thought my feet were going to fall off," Sabrina said, taking off her shoe and rubbing the bottom of her feet.

Give her some slack, we had probably been walking for about three or four hours by this point.

"Yeah DK," Dee said, taking a seat next to Sabrina on a brick wall.

We found what appeared to be an abandoned gas station, again something I wasn't expecting.

It was becoming clearer that Deutorius, for however much he wanted to destroy the world, seemed to have a love for the simpler things of our own realm.

I looked at DK, who was really fidgeting and trying to get us to hurry along.

"I don't want to hang around too much longer guys."

He started to walk back out to the road, looking in either direction.

"Is he crazy?"

Dee smiled as Sabrina was seemingly asking a seriously question.

"I am starting to wonder that," she replied, looking at her brother, "but he's just concerned we were being followed from the very start, my father placed quite a lot of responsibility on him."

I paused; he hadn't said about any responsibility being placed on him.

"I haven't seen anyone following us," said Alexis as she came walking back over to us, "however I have found supplies."

I couldn't believe what she was holding up…

"Is that candy?"

It was if Sabrina had forgotten about being tired because she was straight up and over to Alexis.

"Yeah, great huh?"

She started to munch through a chocolate bar.

Now, I'm not one to state the obvious, but this all seemed a little too convenient.

And I was also not expecting Alexis to be so gullible as to just start eating the candy.

"Hey, I want some!"

Sabrina bolted towards the shop that Alexis had been scouting out.

"I better just go with her…"

Dee hurried along quickly after Sabrina.

I couldn't blame them it did look really tempting.

I stared at Alexis, who was just casually eating.

"Wh..aa," she said through a mouthful of chocolate.

"Don't you think it's a bit strange that there is chocolate right here."

She paused eating for a minute.

"I mean…"

Before she could finish DK was back and interrupting.

"Right come on, let's go…."

He started looking around.

"Where are the other two?"

He then noticed the chocolate and his eyes widened.

"Alexis, where did you get that?"

She pointed innocently towards the shop.

"Oh no," DK said, running towards the shop.

Without hesitation, Alexis and I hurriedly followed him to the shop.

As we went inside, it did look like any usual convenience store. Everything was laid out on shelves and there was even a till on the far side. There wasn't any workers, but then again I don't think I really want to meet the worker that Deutorius would create.

I spotted the girls over by the chocolate. They were relaxed just as they should have been. This place made you feel relaxed even though we were in a weird darkness world.

Yet, I couldn't wrap my head around it. Something didn't feel right, surely Deutorius wouldn't just leave chocolate around for us to grab.

So why was this here?

"Dee, leave the chocolate alone and let's go…"

DK sounded very wary.

"Oh, come on DK, there is clearly nobody here," she said, grabbing some chocolate.

They both had their hands full as they turned their backs to the shelf.

As we started to make our way to the door, DK paused…

"Nobody move…"

It only took me a few seconds to realise why…

Outside the store was…

Something…

Picture something you'd see in your nightmares; well, I was looking straight at it.

Looking at it, you could be confused to see it as a massive dog, but when you got a better look, that was when the fear started to creep in.

It was about the size of a double decker bus. Its teeth and claws looked like they could tear through just about anything and it didn't help that it head two heads.

"Well," whispered Dee, dropping her candy, "maybe we're not alone after all."

"What do we do now?"

Alexis looked serious all of a sudden, the chocolate was gone from her hands and it was clear she knew we were in trouble.

Sabrina on the other hand, she was terrified.

"Dam it…" muttered DK under his breath.

To be honest, that's how I felt as well.

There wasn't any other option but to go out the front. All of our stuff was there and as far as we knew it was our only exit.

Thankfully, I don't think the dog creature had actually noticed our stuff, which meant at the moment, it didn't know we were here.

"Right," DK said, spinning and turning to face us, "Dee and I will distract it, you three get to the bags and start running."

I was slightly confused at the plan, but I guess they had more of a chance of surviving that thing than we did.

We all moved into position, but there was one problem…

"Where has it gone?"

We'd only looked away for a few seconds and the thing had disappeared.

We stood up and exited the store.

"I mean it was right here," I said, looking around.

It definitely wasn't around anymore.

"Let's not hang around to find out," said DK hurrying over to the bags.

I went to follow but felt a sudden obstacle in my way.

"That's weird…"

I reached out a hand and felt something soft…

Oh no…

In the blink of an eye, I was met by two sets of steely gold eyes.

_So, turns out it can also go invisible._

That had clearly gained Alexis attention, who had paused for one minute but had been dragged away by Dee.

Before I had time to think about my next move, a huge set of claws came flying at me and I ducked out of the way behind on of the cars.

I felt a sharp pain course through my arm…

I looked at it…

Yep, it had got me…

I wasn't sure how the others were fairing, but really, I just needed to keep moving. I didn't have time to worry about my injuries.

I jumped from one car to the next, trying not to be hit by the massive paws that were flying around, whilst trying to stem the flow of blood from my arm.

Bits of debris were scattered all around me…

Then I heard a loud roar, but in my head it translated…

_Boss will be happy if get Jaden Yuki…._

Oh great…

At this point I didn't really have any options.

I was running out of cars…

"JADEN!"

I looked over in the direction of the shouting. Alexis, Sabrina, Dee and DK were all at the edge of the road waving at me.

60 feet…

Roughly, that was the distance between me and safety.

Or at least my friends.

I hadn't really tested the speed of the creature trying to take my head off, but I guess this was as better time than any to do so.

In my head I counted down…

3…

2…

I didn't let myself get to 1 as I bolted it across those 60 feet.

I think I must have taken it by surprise because I managed to make it, stumbling to the feet of Alexis who helped me back up.

As I stood, I realised that our big friend had managed to cover the ground as well and was now towering over all of us…

I started to realise that our escape was looking less and less unlikely.

I hadn't realised up until now, but as well as my arm, my ankle was in pretty bad shape, so I wasn't running anywhere.

How I managed to get here?

Adrenalin. Death defying adrenalin.

"Stay behind us," Dee and DK said as they stepped in front of the three of us.

They looked at each other almost communicating with each other.

They both held out their hands as the big guy growled.

_Brave hoomans, not defeat me…_

"Who said anything about defeating you…"

With a swish and some movement of the wrists, a bright light shot out between the two piercing the creature.

The beast let out a loud scream and the light started to surround it.

Dee and DK turned their backs to the creature and started to walk.

"Come on," they said to us, grabbing my backpack and walking.

Alexis put her hand over my shoulder and started to help me walk. I didn't really want to find out what had just happened.

"What was that?"

Sabrina looked shaken.

"It doesn't matter," said Dee, "Deutorius knows we're here now though so we must keep moving."

I felt a shiver down my spine.

That wasn't good. Dee and DK were our secret weapon and they had already given away their identities.

Everything started to sink in…

This wasn't some game of cards anymore…

This was clearly life and death.

* * *

Considering what had happened, I'd slept pretty well that night.

We'd decided it was no good trying to keep walking with my ankle in the state it was, so we'd decided to set up a camp about 200 yards off the road in some forest.

DK and Dee had said that they would both take the watches, which after last night was probably the best idea.

We'd never asked what they did to the creature, but all I know was we were in one piece.

That was the main thing…

That we had survived…

Dee had sorted out my injuries, so I was raring to go this morning.

I stretched out and moved my ankle. It ached a little, but it wasn't anything I couldn't deal with.

I'd shared a tent with DK overnight and to be honest it had actually been quite pleasant. I think it helped knowing that he was there watching over me.

I stepped out the tent.

Clearly, I was last up as everybody had already gotten their stuff ready.

The girl's tent was even packed away.

"Go eat breakfast."

I spun around and saw DK coming back towards the tent with a towel.

"We wanted to let you sleep in, but now you're up, better get ready to move on."

I smiled.

"Okay, but don't you want me to help with the tent?"

"No, you're okay, I want to do it, it's nice being able to actually touch stuff."

I laughed in response. It was true I suppose, this might be the only time DK actually gets to touch stuff.

I made my way over to where the breakfast stuff was.

There wasn't a great selection but then again, I wasn't really expecting one. We hadn't exactly been able to get in a real choice since arriving here.

As I sat eating my breakfast, I had to think about yesterday.

It put everything in perspective.

I mean I guess I was so fixated on getting my brother and sister back that I hadn't really thought about my own safety.

It wasn't that I wasn't wary, but the fact that I almost had my head taken off by a huge dog, it kind of makes you think twice about everything.

I knew what I was here for, to save Tessa and Josh but in order to save them, I have to save myself and to do that I had to be smarter.

I peacefully ate my breakfast, looking out across everything.

Considering this was the darkness realm, it could actually be quite peaceful at times.

The forest we were in was just like one I used to visit with mum and dad when I was younger. I would always get dad to carry me on his shoulders and then help my build a fortress out of sticks.

I was interrupted from my thoughts when I heard a rustling behind me.

I turned to look at where the noise was coming from but couldn't see anything.

Hmm, strange…

Just as I was about to turn back around and resume eating, in the blink of an eye something shot out of the thick grass and curled up around my legs.

"What the…"

I looked down…

It was a dog…

Why is there a dog here?

I stared at it for a second…

It did look awfully familiar…

"What's wrong Jaden?"

Alexis came over carrying a bag that was probably for the tent.

She noticed the dog at my feet and instantly dropped the bag.

"Aww…"

She walked over to my feet started to pet it as I wracked my brain.

"You know, its fur is so soft…."

Soft fur….

Then it hit me…

I bolted up out of the chair, not only scaring Alexis but also the dog itself.

"Whoa, Jaden! What the hell?"

Alexis bent down and picked up the frightened animal.

"You scared it…"

Alexis started moving her hand over the dog's head and it visibly relaxed.

"It's the…."

"Yes Jaden, it is."

DK, Dee and Sabrina came over staring at the dog in Alexis's arms.

"What do you mean?"

Alexis started to grip the puppy tighter as everyone came closer.

"That Alexis, is the beast that you saw yesterday."

Alexis suddenly froze…

"No way…. It can't be?"

"I'm afraid so…"

How that I could actually see the dog properly, I started to see it more clearly, there were certain features of it that looked incredibly like the ones that I saw yesterday from the beast.

Minus the fact it was now a quivering puppy.

Dee came over to stand by Alexis and started patting the dog as well.

"It's okay though," she said, taking it from her, "we removed the darkness from it."

I paused for a minute.

"Wait," I said, inching closer to the dog, "you can just remove darkness away from living things?"

Dee and DK looked at each other.

"It's not that simple Jaden, we can but only certain things, things that aren't powerful enough to hold in the darkness."

I looked at the dog for a minute. Yesterday it seemed so powerful and now it was an innocent puppy.

I didn't get how it could change this quickly but if it wasn't trying to take my head off any more then I was all for it.

Alexis had decided to keep it.

I mean leaving it here did seem rather cruel.

We eventually packed everything away and set off again.

Alexis and Sabrina spent most of the time we were walking trying to figure out a suitable name for it.

I'd suggested Lil' Beast but that didn't go down very well.

I decided whilst they were distracted to talk to DK. I'd been wanting to for a while about last night but hadn't found the time to do so.

"Hey" I said catching up with him. Dee had been walking beside him, but she fell back to try and help the girls figure out a name.

"Hey Jaden."

"I… umm"

"You want me to explain about last night?"

I just nodded. There was no point in answering because he would be able to tell through my thoughts anyway.

"Right, I knew this would happen," he said, motioning to the dog, "but it did take up an awful lot of our strength."

He started to twiddle with his thumbs.

"I just feel responsible, to make sure you guys are safe and I almost failed that last night."

I felt him deflate slightly so I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you."

He looked at me.

"You didn't have to do that, or rather you won't have to from now on, I'll have to be more careful."

It was true. I didn't want DK to feel pressure. I needed to be smart and the only way I was going to do that was to look after myself.

I had others to look after, but they weren't going to be able to rely on me if I wasn't smart with my own safety.

We didn't really say much for a while as we walked. It wasn't that we didn't have anything to say, it was more the fact that we both understood the others point of view.

After a while I felt someone move up alongside me.

"Hey Jaden."

Alexis cruised next to me still carrying the puppy. I realised that DK too had now moved back to join the others.

"Hey."

She walked in unison for a while with me, but I knew there was something on her mind. Eventually she started to talk.

"I…. errr… I wondered if we could talk?"

I briefly looked at her out the corner of my eye. She actually seemed quite nervous, something that I hadn't seen from her in quite a while, around me at least anyway.

"Yeah, Lex, what's up?"

She paused again for a few minutes, putting the puppy down on the floor. It was weird seeing her lost for words. She always found something to say to me.

"I… oh screw it!"

She ran ahead of me, puppy trailing her.

I was lost for a minute.

What was that…

I started to run after her but realised that she was actually moving a lot faster than I had anticipated. I ran past her puppy that seemed to be getting slower and slower by the minute.

Eventually after a good few minutes of running, she grinded to a halt, panting as I caught up with her.

"What the…"

I tried to catch my breath back before trying to talk again.

"What the hell was that."

I finally managed to get behind her but realised that she was sobbing.

"Alexis?"

Slowly, Alexis turned to face me. I could see the tear stains on her face from where she had been crying and running.

Alexis's puppy finally caught up and curled at her feet, clearly just as exhausted as the rest of us.

I put a hand on her shoulder and she slowly rested her head down to lay on top of it.

"You scared me yesterday…"

Silence.

She finally lifted her head to be level with mine.

"I was so scared."

She stepped closer to me with our head barely inches away.

"Ever since that barbecue, I haven't known how to act around you."

I felt something hitch in my throat.

I didn't know where this conversation was going.

She started to walk side to side.

"And you know, I've been trying to work out why Jaden."

She started to talk to herself.

"Why?"

"Why couldn't I talk to one of my best friends with ease."

She stopped walking and looked at me. It wasn't just any look though, there was something else, something else in that look that I'd never seen before.

"Then yesterday, seeing that thing attack you."

She bent down to pick up the puppy.

"I was so scared of losing you, nothing else in my head made any sense when I saw you in danger."

I felt my heart beat a little faster.

I hadn't felt like this around her in a while, but everything she was saying seemed to be bringing back different emotions.

"Alexis…"

"No Jaden, let me finish."

She moved to be back in front of me.

"It only really came to me just how much you mean to me…."

She looked at me in the eyes again…

"And I just needed to tell you, because last night made me realise that anything could happen whilst we were here, that I…"

Suddenly, she stopped and moved past me, looking distracted.

"Hey, where are the others?"

I didn't register what she had said at first because my mind was a complete blur.

"Jaden…"

Eventually, I snapped out of it and turned to see what Alexis was talking about.

It was true.

There was no sign of Sabrina, Dee or DK.

The road was empty.

"What the…"

Then suddenly, I felt a chill go down my spine…

The air got thicker…

Dark clouds started to form above us…

"Did you really think I would let you get away with coming to my home?"

I froze. I knew that voice.

"Deutorius…"

I spun quickly on my heels but was instantly pinned down by some form of creature.

This one though wasn't natural, it was all black, covered in fur and had one singular eye in the centre of its head.

I looked at Alexis. She too was being pinned down.

I felt a sense of helplessness as I stared up at the creature. There was no way I was going to weasel my way out of this one.

"Deutorius, what is this?"

I heard laughter, "these are my pets Jaden, but don't worry, I've got them well trained."

I only just realised that indeed they were the same creature stopping Alexis and I from moving.

"But I must say, you really were too predictable Jaden."

I felt anger bubble up inside me as I struggled trying to break free. The creature just gnarled and increased its grip on me, and I struggled that little bit more.

It seemed though Deutorius wasn't paying attention to my struggles.

"I knew you would come you see, and I knew you would bring backup, I just needed to work out to what extent and you let me, and now I have you exactly where I wanted you."

Deutorius moved into my eye and I got a good look at him.

He looked similar to DK and Dee, but everything about him was different, he just seemed eviler. He had long black hair, scars all across his face, he wore long black robes and sandals where covering his dark socks.

Deutorius studied me for a second.

"Let him go," he said, putting a hand on the creature currently pinning me down.

The creature moved away, and I saw my chance. I leapt up towards Deutorius, but in an instance, I was still.

"What the…"

Deutorius turned, his hand raised out in front of him.

"Do you think I would be that naive?"

I was floating, but I could feel an intense grip on me. It was like he had frozen me in the air.

Suddenly, three bubbles holding, Dee, DK and Sabrina appeared. They were all moving and screaming but it was clear I wasn't going to be able to hear them.

"Now, this should be simple, if you want to see your friends again, give yourself over to me."

I ignored him at first, only wanting to know one thing.

"Where are my brother and sister?"

Deutorius smirked, "now, now Jaden, first, agree to my demands and then we'll talk."

I thought about it. If I give myself up, I save everybody I care about, including my brother and sister.

"No Jaden don't!"

I looked at Alexis who was still being pinned down by the creature.

"Silence girl!"

Suddenly, something shot through the sky, covering over Alexis's mouth.

She was still struggling under the grip.

I looked at Dee, DK and Sabrina, they were all shaking their heads.

But I couldn't let them die. Any of them.

I felt a wave of emotion come over me.

"What will it be Jaden."

Deutorius clicked his fingers realising my from the bind.

I looked around, I hadn't realised until now, but there were several other beasts surrounding us as well, making escape incredibly difficult.

I started to plot and scheme….

There had to be another way surely…

I looked around again, there wasn't a lot on offer in terms of ideas.

I dropped my head…

I couldn't think of anything…

Maybe I should just give up…

"To long…"

Deutorius clapped his hands and started to walk away…

"Wait…"

"Sorry Jaden, I have so much to be doing and I didn't really want to give you an offer anyway, I just thought it might be nice, but clearly you're ungrateful."

I looked around; all the creatures started to close in…

Deutorius clicked his fingers and the next thing he said made my entire body shake….

"Kill them all…"

* * *

**Few, finally, that took a while to sort out.**

**But what did you guys think?**

**Please let me know in the review section. **

**I don't have a timescale on the next chapter, but I'll try to get it done sooner rather than later. I have got another story idea that I want to start working on, so I will try to balance out both of the stories but I will keep you updated if anything changes.**

**But until then, favourite, follow and review, look after yourselves and have fun.**

**Writey x**


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